Krystan
A feminine name of Greek origin, meaning "Christian" or "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 382 living Americans carry the first name Krystan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Krystan today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Krystan births was 1991 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Krystan. 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
382
~ 1 in 897,263 Americans
Peak year
1991
30 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2009 SSA rank
#18,859
Tracked since 1981
Census
Krystan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 427 people with the first name Krystan, which placed it at #23,071 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
#23,071
National first-name rank
People counted
427
427 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krystan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Krystan is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Krystan 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 Krystan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 286
- Black or African American15.9% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 36
- Two or more races5.2% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 6
Popularity
Krystan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Krystan from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Krystan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Krystan 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 Krystan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Krystans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Krystan
The name Krystan is a variant spelling of the name Christian, which has its roots in ancient Greek and Latin. The name Christian was derived from the Greek word "Christos," meaning "anointed one," referring to Jesus Christ. It became a popular name among early Christians as a way to express their faith and devotion.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Christian was often bestowed upon those who converted to the new religion, symbolizing their acceptance of Christ's teachings. As Christianity spread across Europe, the name took on various spellings and forms, including Krystan, which emerged as a unique variation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Krystan can be found in Medieval English records from the 12th century. During this period, the name gained popularity among the nobility and gentry, particularly in regions with strong Christian influences.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Krystan. One of the earliest was Krystan of Lübeck, a German monk and chronicler who lived in the 13th century and authored a significant historical work known as the "Annals of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Lübeck."
Another prominent Krystan was Krystan von Hamle, a 14th-century German knight and military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. His exploits and bravery in battle earned him a reputation as a formidable warrior during the turbulent times of the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, Krystan Pedersen, a Danish scholar and Protestant reformer, played a crucial role in translating the Bible into Danish. His work helped to spread the ideas of the Reformation and contributed to the cultural and religious development of Denmark.
Moving forward to the 17th century, Krystan Krystansen was a Norwegian explorer and whaler who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the Antarctic continent. His daring voyages and encounters with the harsh Antarctic environment have been documented in various historical records.
In more recent times, Krystan Lekkas, a Canadian professional ice hockey player, has carried on the legacy of the name. Born in 1997, Lekkas has made a name for himself in the sport, showcasing his skills and dedication on the ice.
While the name Krystan may not be as common as its parent name Christian, it holds a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have left their mark across various fields, from religion and scholarship to exploration and athletics.
People
Krystan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Krystan 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
Krystan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Krystan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 382 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Krystan 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 897,263 US residents.
Is Krystan a common name?
We classify Krystan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 397 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Krystan most popular?
The single biggest year for Krystan was 1991, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Krystan is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Krystan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 427 people with the name Krystan, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,071 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 Krystan 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 Krystan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Krystan leans strongly female. 391 people counted with this name were female (92.4%), compared with 32 male bearers (7.6%). 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 Krystan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Krystan is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Krystan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Krystan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (286 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 Krystan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Krystan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Krystan 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 Krystan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Krystan 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 Krystan 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 have Krystan as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.