Christena
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "Christos" meaning "anointed."
Name Census estimates that about 1,369 living Americans carry the first name Christena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Christena today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Christena births was 1975 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Christena. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 250,368 Americans
Peak year
1975
50 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,850
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Christena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Christena from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 336 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Christena 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 Christena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Christenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Indiana, Ohio recorded the most babies named Christena, while Washington, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Christena
The name Christena has its roots in the Greek language and can be traced back to ancient times. It is a feminine variation of the name Christian, which itself comes from the Greek word "Christos," meaning "anointed one" or "the anointed."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Christena can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher and historian Plutarch, who lived in the 1st century AD. He mentioned a woman named Christena in one of his works, although details about her life are scarce.
During the Middle Ages, the name Christena gained popularity among Christians, particularly in Europe. It was seen as a pious and virtuous name, reflecting the wearer's devotion to the Christian faith. Some historical records from this period mention women with the name Christena, though they are often obscure figures.
In the Renaissance era, the name Christena began to appear more frequently in various literary works and historical accounts. One notable figure was Christena of Erbach (1545-1625), a German noblewoman and abbess of the Venerable Imperial Abbey of Herford.
Another significant figure was Christena Wolleb (1672-1741), a German poet and writer who was a member of the renowned Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft (Fruitbearing Society), a literary society in Germany dedicated to the cultivation of the German language.
In the 18th century, Christena Edmunds (1727-1807) was a British writer and poet who gained recognition for her works on moral and religious themes.
Moving into the 19th century, Christena Harriet Jerningham (1807-1877) was an English novelist and playwright who wrote under the pseudonym "Gertrude Skeffington." Her works often explored themes of feminism and social reform.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Christena Natalie Maude Beatrice Perkins (1893-1952) was a British artist and painter known for her portraits and landscapes.
While the name Christena has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, it continues to hold significance as a feminine name with deep historical roots and connections to the Christian faith.
People
Christena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Christena 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
Christena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Christena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,369 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Christena 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 250,368 US residents.
Is Christena a common name?
We classify Christena as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,844 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Christena most popular?
The single biggest year for Christena was 1975, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Christena is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Christena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Christena 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.
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.