Kristye
A feminine name of English origin meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 38 living Americans carry the first name Kristye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kristye today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kristye births was 1970 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kristye. 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 Kristye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
38
~ 1 in 9,019,851 Americans
Peak year
1970
8 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1981 SSA rank
#9,721
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Kristye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kristye from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 26 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
Kristye 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 Kristye 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 Kristye
The name Kristye is a variant spelling of the traditionally feminine given name Christy, which is derived from the Greek name Χριστός (Christós), meaning "anointed" or "anointed one." This name ultimately traces its origins back to the word "Christ," a title referring to Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah or the anointed one prophesied in the Old Testament.
The name Kristye gained popularity in the Christian tradition, particularly in regions where Greek and Latin influences were strong. It was widely used throughout medieval Europe, with early recorded instances appearing in various historical documents and church records from the 9th century onward.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing this name was Kristye d'Anjou, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and her influential role in the court of the Angevin dynasty. Another prominent figure was Kristye von Bora, a 16th-century German nun who later became the wife of the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kristye was popularized in literature and art. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Kristye Colomb, the daughter of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who played a significant role in preserving her father's legacy and promoting the colonization of the Americas.
In the realm of religion, Kristye of Siena, a 14th-century Italian mystic and philosopher, was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church and is renowned for her spiritual writings and her efforts to promote peace and reconciliation during the Western Schism.
Another notable figure was Kristye de Pisan, a 15th-century Italian-French writer and philosopher, who is considered one of the earliest feminist authors and a pioneer in advocating for women's rights and education during the medieval period.
While the name Kristye has maintained a presence throughout history, it has undergone various spelling variations and has been adapted to different cultures and languages over time. However, its connection to the Christian tradition and its Greek origins have remained a consistent thread in its meaning and significance.
People
Kristye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kristye 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
Kristye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kristye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 38 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kristye 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 9,019,851 US residents.
Is Kristye a common name?
We classify Kristye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kristye most popular?
The single biggest year for Kristye was 1970, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kristye is about 54 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 Kristye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kristye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kristye 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 Kristye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kristye 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 Kristye 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 common is the name Kristye?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Kristye on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.