Entry № 1300 · Scandinavian, Greek origin

Kirsten Kirsten — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ KEER-sten /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Scandinavian, Greek
Meaning
"Follower of Christ (Kirsten Dunst; Kirsten Gillibrand)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 0
First recorded
Medieval (Danish)

A name that means "follower of christ (kirsten dunst; kirsten gillibrand)".

Kirsten is the Danish-Norwegian form of Christine — from the Greek christianos (follower of Christ). **A top-200 US baby name from 1973 to 1996**. **Kirsten Dunst (born 1982)** — **American actress; breakthrough role at age 12 as Claudia in Neil Jordan's *Interview with the Vampire* (1994), earning a Golden Globe nomination — the youngest competitive Best Supporting Actress nominee at the time**. **Mary Jane Watson in the Sam Raimi *Spider-Man* trilogy (2002-2007); Marie Antoinette (2006) directed by Sofia Coppola; *The Power of the Dog* (2021) earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress**. **Cannes Best Actress (2011, *Melancholia*)**. **Kirsten Gillibrand (born 1966)** — US Senator from New York since 2009 (D), succeeding Hillary Clinton's seat; led the Senate effort to repeal *Don't Ask, Don't Tell* (2010) and the Military Justice Improvement Act**. **Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962)** — Norwegian Wagnerian soprano; the Metropolitan Opera's leading dramatic soprano of the 1930s and the inaugural director of the Norwegian National Opera. **Kiersten Lewis** — American basketball player.

Featured throughout 1990s-2020s American culture.

Follower of Christ. Mary Jane in Spider-Man trilogy + Oscar nomination for The Power of the Dog (2021).

The name in its native script.

Kirsten
Transliteration
Kirsten
Pronunciation
/ ˈkɪər.stən /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Kirsten stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 0 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 137 in 1983
Babies named Kirsten · last year
130 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1955
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #137 NOW · —

Kirstens before her.

Real people
Kirsten Dunst
American actress.
born 1982
Kirsten Gillibrand
US Senator from New York.
born 1966
Kirsten Flagstad
Norwegian Wagnerian soprano.
1895 – 1962
In fiction
Mary Jane Watson
Raimi's Spider-Man.
2002

Names connected to Kirsten.

The number behind Kirsten.

8

The Authority

Kirsten reduces to eight — the number of Spider-Man.

Why families chose this name.

"Dunst's Christ. Seven letters. Kirsten."
Catherine · Mother of one · Point Pleasant