Kristy
A feminine variant of the name Kristen, meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 64,026 living Americans carry the first name Kristy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kristy today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kristy births was 1978 (5,352 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kristy. 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 Kristy is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 179 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1970s, recent registration numbers for Kristy have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
64K
~ 1 in 5,353 Americans
Peak year
1978
5,352 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1989 SSA rank
#4,946
Tracked since 1941
Gender
Gender distribution for Kristy
Out of the 70,675 babies given the name Kristy since 1880, 99.7% 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.
Kristy as a male name
- Ranked #6,624 in 1989
- 7 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1978 (20 births)
Kristy as a female name
- Ranked #4,946 in 2024
- 27 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1978 (5,332 births)
Popularity
Kristy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kristy from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 27,862 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
Kristy 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 Kristy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kristys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kristy, while District of Columbia, Delaware, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,333 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kristy
The name Kristy is a feminine form of the name Kristian, which itself is derived from the Latin name Christianus, meaning "a Christian" or "follower of Christ." The name Christianus was originally used as a descriptive term for early followers of Christianity, before becoming a personal name.
The name first gained popularity in the Christian world during the Middle Ages, when it was commonly used as a baptismal name for both boys and girls. It was particularly popular in regions with strong Christian traditions, such as parts of Europe and the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kristy can be found in the writings of the 9th-century English scholar Alcuin of York, who referred to a young woman named Cristina in one of his letters. However, it's likely that the name was in use even earlier, as Christianity had spread throughout much of the known world by that time.
In the 12th century, a French noblewoman named Kristy de Marigny was a prominent figure at the court of King Louis VII of France. She was known for her intelligence and diplomatic skills, and played a key role in negotiating peace between France and England.
Another notable figure with the name Kristy was Kristy Nilsson, a Swedish painter and illustrator who lived in the late 19th century. She is best known for her vibrant and colorful depictions of Swedish folk life and traditions.
In the world of literature, one of the most famous Kristys is the titular character of the children's book series "The Baby-Sitters Club" by Ann M. Martin. The first book in the series, which follows the adventures of a group of young friends who start a babysitting business, was published in 1986 and became a cultural phenomenon.
Another well-known Kristy is the American actress Kristy Swanson, who rose to fame in the 1990s for her roles in films like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The Phantom." She was born in 1969 and continues to work in both film and television.
Throughout its long history, the name Kristy has maintained a strong connection to its Christian roots, while also gaining popularity as a feminine and elegant name in its own right.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kristy
People
Kristy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kristy 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
Kristy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kristy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64,026 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kristy 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 5,353 US residents.
Is Kristy a common name?
We classify Kristy as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70,675 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kristy most popular?
The single biggest year for Kristy was 1978, when 5,352 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kristy is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kristy a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Kristy 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.