NameCensus.
Uncommon

Cristal

A feminine name of French origin meaning "crystalline" or "made of crystal".

Name Census estimates that about 15,250 living Americans carry the first name Cristal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cristal today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cristal births was 1991 (679 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Cristal. 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.

Key insights

  • Although Cristal is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 55 boys registered with the name since 1880.

People living today

15K

~ 1 in 22,476 Americans

Peak year

1991

679 babies that year

Average age

31

years old

1996 SSA rank

#2,601

Tracked since 1947

Gender

Gender distribution for Cristal

Out of the 15,897 babies given the name Cristal since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.

100% female
Male55 (0.3%)Female15,842 (99.7%)

Cristal as a male name

  • Ranked #9,276 in 1996
  • 5 male births in 1996
  • Peak: 1986 (10 births)

Cristal as a female name

  • Ranked #2,601 in 2024
  • 67 female births in 2024
  • Peak: 1991 (679 births)

Popularity

Cristal: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Cristal from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5,238 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

MaleFemale
017034050967919501960197019801990200020102020

Decades

Cristal 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 Cristal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1940s055
1950s0110110
1960s0487487
1970s01,2301,230
1980s322,8992,931
1990s235,2155,238
2000s04,3054,305
2010s01,3321,332
2020s0259259

Geography

Where Cristals live

The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Cristal, while Iowa, Delaware, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 339 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Cristal

The name Cristal is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word "cristal," which means "crystal." It is a feminine name that originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded use of the name Cristal dates back to the 13th century in Spain and Portugal. It was likely inspired by the beauty and clarity of crystals, which were highly prized in medieval times for their supposed healing properties and their use in jewelry and decorative arts.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Cristal was Cristal de Haro, a 14th-century Spanish noblewoman and member of the powerful de Haro family. She was born around 1320 and played a significant role in the political intrigues of her time.

In the 16th century, Cristal de Haro, a Spanish painter and engraver, became renowned for her religious works and portraits. She was active in the early part of the century and her art pieces can be found in various museums and collections across Spain.

During the 17th century, Cristal de la Cruz, a Spanish mystic and writer, gained prominence for her spiritual works and her contributions to the development of mystical literature in Spain. She was born in 1592 and died in 1646.

In the 19th century, Cristal Aranda, a Spanish operatic soprano, achieved fame for her performances in various opera houses across Europe. She was born in 1837 and had a highly successful career until her retirement in the late 1800s.

Another notable figure with the name Cristal was Cristal Moniz, a Portuguese writer and poet who lived in the early 20th century. She was born in 1892 and her works focused on themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry collections were widely acclaimed and influential in Portuguese literature.

While the name Cristal has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries and regions with a strong Hispanic cultural influence.

People

Cristal + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Cristal 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

Cristal: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Cristal?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cristal 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 22,476 US residents.

Is Cristal a common name?

We classify Cristal as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,897 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Cristal most popular?

The single biggest year for Cristal was 1991, when 679 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cristal is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Cristal a female name?

Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Cristal 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.

N
Name Census
namecensus.com

There are 15K people

with the first name

Cristal

Look up any American name

Share this result