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Kirsten is a Norwegian version of the name Christine and means “a Christian”. Kirsten and Kristen are often mistaken for the other as both are Scandinavian versions of the name. Kirsten was most popular in the 1990s.
Meaning of the name Kirsten:
Scandinavian, Norwegian: Christian
Origin of the name Kirsten:
Kirsten is a Scandinavian name that means “a Christian”. Kirsten is a Norwegian variant of the English name Christine.
Symbolism of the name Kirsten:
Kirsten refers to a practitioner of the Christian faith and evokes all of the symbolism of the religion. This includes the cross but also things like the lion and lamb, chalice, altar, churches, and beautiful stained glass windows.
Style of the name Kirsten:
traditional
Gender of the name Kirsten:
Kirsten is a girl's baby name.
Pronunciation of the name Kirsten:
KEER-stehn (Danish), KHEESH-tehn (Norwegian), KUR-stən (English)
Number of syllables in the name Kirsten:
two
Emotion evoked from the name Kirsten:
Kirsten evokes feelings of charm and intellect.
Alternative spellings for the name Kirsten:
Khirsten, Keersten, Kursten
Nicknames for the name Kirsten:
- Kirsty
- Kir
- Krissy
- Sten
- Ten
Popularity of the name Kirsten:
According to the Social Security Administration, Kirsten is a popular baby girl’s name. Kirsten was in the top 1000 baby names between 1957 and 2012. It peaked at #154 in 1991.
Kirsten is a Danish and Norwegian form of the name Christina, a feminine variant of the boy’s name Christian, which derived from the Latin name Christianus (from Latin “christianus sum” = I am a Christ) and is of ancient Greek origin (Christós/Χριστός).
What does the name Kirsten mean?
Kirsten means “a Christian“ or “follower of Christ” and “anointed” (from ancient Greek “khrístós/χρίστός” = anointed one or “khrío/χρίω” = to anoint, originally from Hebrew “mashíakh/מָשִׁיחַ” = anointed/messiah).
Pronunciation of Kirsten
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The name Kirsten is ranked #6828 overall.
KirstenHyphenation:KirstenNumber of syllables:1Character length:7Popularity:6828Girl namesGirl names with KNamesNames with K
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Kirsten is another Scandinavian form of Christian/Christina (mainly originating out of Norway and Denmark). All of these “Christian” names are derived from the Medieval Latin Christianus meaning, quite obviously, “a Christian”. Ultimately, the Latin word for a Christian is derived from the Greek Christos from “chrio” meaning “to anoint”. Christós (Christ) was the title given to Jesus of Nazareth by Greek Christians in the first century to signify him as the anointed one by the power of God. The Greek Christós is also a translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” meaning essentially the same thing (anointed). Names like Christian, Christiana, Christina and Christine have been used since the Middle Ages but did not become widely common until the 17th century. Names like Kristen, Kiersten and Kirsten are more modern 20th century variations. The “K” forms of this name vs. “Ch” add a certain Germanic or Scandinavian flavor to these old Christian favorites.
All About the Baby Name – Kirsten
Personality
OF THE GIRL NAME KIRSTEN
Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.
Popularity
OF THE GIRL NAME KIRSTEN
More modern American parents may be familiar with the name Kirsten from the American Doll Collection – she is a mid-19th century pioneer-era doll. Strange that the makers of American Dolls would pick the name Kirsten because this girl’s name didn’t even appear on the American female naming charts until 100 years later in 1957. Although Kirsten the doll originally hailed from Sweden and Scandinavians have a much longer history of having bestowed the name Kirsten. Here in the states, the Kirsten, Kiersten and Kristen versions of the Christine name haven’t been around nearly as long so they feel much more modern and less traditional to Americans. Additionally they have different pronunciations so it all comes down to a matter of preference (note: because there are so many pronunciations, this also adds to some confusion which some people find annoying). There’s Kris-TEEN, KUR-stin, KYEER-stin and KRIS-ten, for instance (and that’s just a partial list). The height of Kirsten’s popularity, specifically, was during the 1990s when she almost (but not quite) reached a position on the Top 150 most commonly used girl names. This was also right around the time that Kirsten Dunst became a widely recognized young actress for her role in “Interview with the Vampire” (1994). Not surprisingly, Dunst is part Swedish.