Crystal
A feminine name of Greek origin alluding to transparence and brilliance.
Name Census estimates that about 304,289 living Americans carry the first name Crystal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Crystal today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Crystal births was 1982 (19,170 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Crystal. 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 Crystal is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 1,185 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1980s, recent registration numbers for Crystal have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
304K
~ 1 in 1,126 Americans
Peak year
1982
19,170 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2010 SSA rank
#1,176
Tracked since 1884
Gender
Gender distribution for Crystal
Out of the 333,092 babies given the name Crystal since 1880, 99.6% 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.
Crystal as a male name
- Ranked #11,024 in 2010
- 6 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1983 (82 births)
Crystal as a female name
- Ranked #1,176 in 2024
- 203 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1982 (19,098 births)
Popularity
Crystal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Crystal 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 141,631 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
Crystal 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 Crystal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Crystals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Crystal, while Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6,436 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Crystal
The name Crystal is derived from the Greek word "krystallos," which means "clear ice." It was initially used to describe the natural mineral quartz, known for its transparency and brilliance. The name Crystal gained popularity as a given name in the 20th century, reflecting the increasing appreciation for gemstones and their symbolic meanings.
In ancient times, crystals were revered for their supposed mystical properties and were believed to possess healing powers. The word "krystallos" was recorded in Pliny the Elder's "Naturalis Historia," a comprehensive work on the natural world written in the 1st century AD. Pliny described various types of crystals and their supposed magical qualities.
While the name Crystal was not commonly used as a personal name in ancient times, it gained traction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of Crystal as a given name was Crystal Eastman, an American lawyer, and activist born in 1881. She was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement and a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Another notable figure with the name Crystal was Crystal Hubbard, an American actress, and vaudeville performer born in 1900. She was known for her roles in several Broadway productions and films during the early 20th century.
Crystal Gayle, an American country music singer born in 1951, is among the most famous individuals with the name. She gained widespread recognition for her hit songs, such as "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and "Half the Way." Gayle's successful career spanned several decades and earned her numerous awards and accolades.
In the literary world, Crystal Wilkinson is an acclaimed African American author and poet born in 1962. Her works, including "Blackberries, Blackberries" and "The Birds of Opulence," explore themes of identity, family, and the complexities of rural life in the American South.
Crystal Lee Sutton, an American labor activist born in 1940, played a pivotal role in the fight for workers' rights. Her story inspired the 1979 film "Norma Rae," which brought national attention to the struggles of textile workers and the importance of unionizing.
The name Crystal has gained widespread popularity in various cultures and regions around the world, reflecting the universal appeal of gemstones and their symbolic associations with beauty, clarity, and purity.
People
Crystal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Crystal 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
Crystal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Crystal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 304,289 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Crystal 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 1,126 US residents.
Is Crystal a common name?
We classify Crystal as "Common". It ranks above 99.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 333,092 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Crystal most popular?
The single biggest year for Crystal was 1982, when 19,170 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Crystal is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Crystal a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Crystal 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.