Kirsta
A feminine name derived from the German Kirsten, of uncertain meaning but possibly related to "Christian".
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the first name Kirsta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kirsta today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kirsta births was 1991 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kirsta. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kirsta with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
247
~ 1 in 1,387,669 Americans
Peak year
1991
16 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2005 SSA rank
#13,785
Tracked since 1967
Census
Kirsta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 287 people with the first name Kirsta, which placed it at #30,385 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
#30,385
National first-name rank
People counted
287
287 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
87.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirsta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kirsta is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Kirsta 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 Kirsta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 251
- Two or more races4.9% · 14
- Black or African American4.2% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 10
Popularity
Kirsta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kirsta from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 86 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Kirsta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kirsta 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 Kirsta 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 Kirsta
The name Kirsta is a feminine given name with origins rooted in the ancient Germanic languages. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word "kyrr," meaning "calm" or "peaceful," and the Old High German word "krist," which means "Christian." This combination suggests that Kirsta initially carried connotations of tranquility and religious devotion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kirsta can be traced back to medieval Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden, where it was a popular choice among the Viking and Norse communities. During this era, the name was often spelled as "Kyrsta" or "Kyrsta," reflecting its Nordic roots.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Kirsta was Kirsta Nilsdotter, a Swedish noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was the daughter of Nils Abjörnsson and played a significant role in the political affairs of her time, serving as a trusted advisor to King Magnus IV of Sweden.
In the 15th century, the name Kirsta gained prominence in Germany, where it was often rendered as "Krista" or "Christa." One notable figure from this period was Kirsta von Bredow, a German nun and abbess who lived between 1435 and 1520. She was renowned for her piety and leadership within the Cistercian order.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and variations, such as "Krista," "Christa," and "Krystyna." In the 16th century, Kirsta Gyllenstierna, a Swedish noblewoman and aristocrat, became a prominent figure in the country's history, known for her involvement in political intrigues and court affairs.
In the 17th century, Kirsta Catharina von Ebner, a German poet and writer, gained recognition for her literary works, which explored themes of spirituality and devotion. Her birth and death years are recorded as 1627 and 1692, respectively.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kirsta was Kirsta Jonsdotter, a Swedish woman who lived in the 18th century and played a crucial role in the development of early modern midwifery practices in her country. She is celebrated for her contributions to improving maternal and infant healthcare.
While the name Kirsta has retained its presence throughout history, it has seen varying levels of popularity across different regions and time periods. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the cultural and linguistic traditions of the Germanic world, carrying echoes of tranquility, faith, and resilience.
People
Kirsta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kirsta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kirsta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kirsta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 247 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kirsta 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 1,387,669 US residents.
Is Kirsta a common name?
We classify Kirsta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kirsta most popular?
The single biggest year for Kirsta was 1991, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kirsta is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kirsta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 287 people with the name Kirsta, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,385 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 Kirsta 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 Kirsta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kirsta appears almost entirely female. Of the 297 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kirsta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kirsta is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Kirsta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kirsta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (251 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 Kirsta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kirsta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kirsta 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 Kirsta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kirsta 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 Kirsta 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 called Kirsta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.