Dristen
An invented name of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Dristen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Dristen today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dristen births was 1996 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dristen. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dristen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
1996
7 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2008 SSA rank
#10,855
Tracked since 1981
Gender
Gender distribution for Dristen
Dristen leans heavily male at 89.8% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Dristen as a male name
- Ranked #13,070 in 2008
- 5 male births in 2008
- Peak: 1996 (7 births)
Dristen as a female name
- Ranked #10,855 in 1981
- 5 female births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (5 births)
Popularity
Dristen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dristen from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 26 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dristen 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 Dristen 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 Dristen
The given name Dristen is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language of Brittonic, which was spoken in parts of what is now Great Britain and northern France. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root *dri, meaning "thorn" or "bramble," combined with the suffix -ten, which denoted a place or location. Thus, Dristen likely referred to a thorny or bramble-covered area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 6th century CE, when it appeared in some Welsh genealogical records. In these texts, Dristen was often used as a descriptive name for individuals who lived near or were associated with thorny or bramble-filled regions.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name was Dristen ap Rhys (c. 590–652 CE), a Welsh prince and warrior who played a significant role in defending his kingdom against Anglo-Saxon invaders. His name was recorded in the Annales Cambriae, a 10th-century chronicle of Welsh history.
Another individual of historical significance was Dristen the Scribe (c. 820–892 CE), a renowned Welsh scholar and calligrapher who produced several illuminated manuscripts that are now considered masterpieces of medieval Celtic art. His work helped preserve and propagate the Welsh language and culture during a turbulent period.
In the 11th century, Dristen ap Owain (c. 1020–1088 CE) was a prominent Welsh nobleman and landowner who played a pivotal role in the political struggles between the Welsh princes and the Norman invaders. His name is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles and documents.
During the 13th century, Dristen ab Iorwerth (c. 1210–1282 CE) was a celebrated Welsh bard and poet whose works celebrated the heroic deeds of Welsh warriors and princes. His poetic compositions, known as cywyddau, are considered among the finest examples of medieval Welsh literature.
In the 15th century, Dristen Goch (c. 1420–1492 CE), also known as the "Red Dristen," was a renowned Welsh archer and military commander who fought alongside Owain Glyndŵr in the Welsh Revolt against English rule. His exploits were recorded in various bardic poems and chronicles of the time.
While the name Dristen has its roots in ancient Celtic culture, it has largely fallen out of use in modern times, except in some isolated areas of Wales and Cornwall, where it is occasionally revived as a nod to the region's rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
People
Dristen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dristen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dristen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dristen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dristen 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 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Dristen a common name?
We classify Dristen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dristen most popular?
The single biggest year for Dristen was 1996, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dristen is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Dristen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dristen a male name?
Yes, 89.8% of people registered as Dristen in the SSA data are male. 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 Dristen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dristen 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 Dristen 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Dristen?
Want to know how many Americans are named Dristen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.