Kirsty
Scottish diminutive of Christine meaning "Christian, follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 897 living Americans carry the first name Kirsty. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kirsty today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kirsty births was 1991 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kirsty. 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
897
~ 1 in 382,112 Americans
Peak year
1991
99 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2013 SSA rank
#18,031
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Kirsty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kirsty from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 508 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
Decades
Kirsty 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 Kirsty during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kirstys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Kirsty, while Tennessee, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kirsty
The given name Kirsty originated as a Scottish English feminine form of the name Christian. It first emerged in the 16th century as a variant spelling of Christy, which itself derived from the Greek name Christos, meaning "anointed one" or "the anointed".
The earliest known recorded use of the spelling Kirsty dates back to 1576 in Scotland. It likely arose through the influence of the Scots language, where certain vowel sounds were altered or dropped, leading to the distinct spelling and pronunciation.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Kirsty saw some usage among Scottish families, particularly in the Highlands and Islands regions. However, it remained relatively uncommon compared to more traditional forms like Christine or Christina.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Kirsty was Kirsty Macleod (c. 1680-1750), a renowned Scottish folk singer and tradition bearer from the Isle of Skye. She is credited with preserving and passing down many traditional Gaelic songs and tales.
Another early bearer of the name was Kirsty Baillie (1733-1816), a Scottish Jacobite sympathizer and diarist who recorded her experiences during the turbulent period of the Jacobite risings in the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name Kirsty gained some traction among Scottish literary circles. Kirsty Hutchison (1838-1868) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote under the pen name "Dora Norice".
The 20th century saw a rise in the name's popularity, particularly in Scotland and England. Kirsty Wark (born 1955) is a well-known Scottish journalist and television presenter, best known for her work on the BBC's Newsnight program.
Kirsty Young (born 1968) is another prominent Scottish television presenter and radio host, famous for her work on programs like Desert Island Discs and Crimewatch.
People
Kirsty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kirsty 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
Kirsty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kirsty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 897 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kirsty 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 382,112 US residents.
Is Kirsty a common name?
We classify Kirsty as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 945 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kirsty most popular?
The single biggest year for Kirsty was 1991, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kirsty is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kirsty a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kirsty 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.