Kresta
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Latin word "crista" meaning "crest" or "tuft".
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Kresta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kresta today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kresta births was 1975 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kresta. 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
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
1975
33 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,272
Tracked since 1970
Census
Kresta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 185 people with the first name Kresta, which placed it at #40,305 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
#40,305
National first-name rank
People counted
185
185 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kresta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kresta is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Kresta 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 Kresta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 9
- Two or more races4.9% · 9
- Black or African American3.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Kresta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kresta from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 138 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kresta 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 Kresta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Krestas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kresta
The name Kresta has its origins in the ancient Greek language, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "krestos," which means "good" or "virtuous." The name was relatively uncommon in ancient Greece but gained some popularity during the Hellenistic period.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name Kresta was a Greek philosopher from Athens who lived in the 4th century BCE. Unfortunately, little is known about his life and works, but his name has been mentioned in several ancient texts and inscriptions.
In the 2nd century CE, a woman named Kresta is recorded as being a follower of the early Christian church. She is mentioned in the writings of several early Christian scholars, but details about her life and role within the church are scarce.
During the Byzantine era, the name Kresta saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the Greek population of the Eastern Roman Empire. One notable bearer of the name was Kresta of Constantinople, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 9th century CE. She was known for her contributions to the study of ancient Greek texts and her teachings on Christian theology.
In the 12th century, a woman named Kresta of Kiev was a prominent figure in the Eastern Orthodox Church. She was a nun and is credited with establishing several monasteries in the region of modern-day Ukraine.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kresta was a Greek noblewoman from the island of Crete, who lived in the 15th century during the Renaissance period. She was a patron of the arts and supported many artists and intellectuals of her time, though little is known about her personal life.
While the name Kresta has ancient roots and has been borne by various individuals throughout history, it has never gained widespread popularity as a given name. Nevertheless, its connection to the Greek concept of virtue and goodness has endured, making it a unique and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with historical and cultural significance.
People
Kresta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kresta 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
Kresta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kresta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kresta 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 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Kresta a common name?
We classify Kresta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kresta most popular?
The single biggest year for Kresta was 1975, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kresta is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kresta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 185 people with the name Kresta, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,305 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 Kresta 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 Kresta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kresta leans strongly female. 191 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.5%). 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 Kresta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kresta is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Kresta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kresta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (151 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 Kresta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kresta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kresta 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 Kresta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kresta 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 Kresta 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 common is the name Kresta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.