Christana
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "a Christian woman."
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the first name Christana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Christana today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Christana births was 1973 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Christana. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
187
~ 1 in 1,832,911 Americans
Peak year
1973
15 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2008 SSA rank
#12,841
Tracked since 1900
Census
Christana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 348 people with the first name Christana, which placed it at #26,649 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,649
National first-name rank
People counted
348
348 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
44.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Christana is White at 44.3%. The next largest groups are Black (37.4%) and Hispanic (14.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Christana described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Christana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.3% · 154
- Black or African American37.4% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino14.1% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 8
- Two or more races2.0% · 7
Popularity
Christana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Christana from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Christana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Christana by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Christana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Christana
The name Christana is a feminine given name with its origins traced back to ancient Greece and the early days of Christianity. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "Christos," which means "anointed one" or "the anointed," referring to Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Christana can be found in the writings of the early Christian theologian and philosopher, Origen, who lived in the 3rd century AD. He mentioned a woman named Christana in one of his texts, suggesting that the name was already in use among early Christian communities.
During the Middle Ages, the name Christana gained popularity across Europe as Christianity spread throughout the continent. It was particularly common in regions with strong Christian traditions, such as Italy, Spain, and France. In these areas, the name was often given to girls born around the time of Christmas, symbolizing the birth of Christ.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Christana was Christana of Courtenay, a 13th-century French noblewoman who was the daughter of Robert I, Count of Courtenay. She lived from approximately 1205 to 1248 and played a significant role in the political affairs of medieval France.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Christana of Sweden, a 16th-century Swedish noble and courtier. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine Jagiellon and was known for her influence and involvement in the royal court during the reign of King Gustav Vasa.
In the realm of literature, one cannot ignore the character of Christana in the 17th-century play "The Broken Heart" by John Ford. This tragic heroine's name was likely chosen to symbolize her Christian virtues and devotion.
Moving forward in time, the name Christana continued to be used throughout Europe and other parts of the world influenced by Christian traditions. One notable figure was Christana Hartley, a 19th-century British author and poet who lived from 1825 to 1894.
Additionally, Christana Brigham, an American educator and activist, made significant contributions to the women's suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in 1839 and played a pivotal role in advocating for women's rights and equal educational opportunities.
While the name Christana has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, its rich historical significance and connection to the early days of Christianity make it a unique and meaningful choice for those seeking a name with deep spiritual and cultural roots.
People
Christana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Christana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Christana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Christana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 187 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Christana going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,832,911 US residents.
Is Christana a common name?
We classify Christana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 219 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Christana most popular?
The single biggest year for Christana was 1973, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Christana is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Christana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 348 people with the name Christana, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,649 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Christana in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Christana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Christana leans strongly female. 354 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Christana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Christana is White at 44.3%. The next largest groups are Black (37.4%) and Hispanic (14.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Christana most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Christana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.3% (154 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Christana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Christana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Christana in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Christana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Christana in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Christana can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Christana?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Christana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.