girl's name
Crystal
KRIS-tul (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 341,648
Crystal is a girl's name from the Greek for ice, taken from the mineral rather than from any personal name. It peaked in 1982 and now ranks 1,148th in the United States, charting in four markets.
- Crystal is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1982, when 19,171 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 16,413 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Crystal Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 42 |
| 1890s | 185 |
| 1900s | 394 |
| 1910s | 1,078 |
| 1920s | 1,086 |
| 1930s | 816 |
| 1940s | 1,926 |
| 1950s | 9,019 |
| 1960s | 25,057 |
| 1970s | 74,004 |
| 1980s | 141,629 |
| 1990s | 51,251 |
| 2000s | 18,956 |
| 2010s | 6,409 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,446 |
What Crystal Means
Crystal means ice, or clear quartz. The Greek word named ice first, and Greeks applied it to rock crystal because they believed the mineral was water frozen so hard it could never melt.
Where Crystal Comes From
Crystal is the English word for clear quartz, from the Greek krystallos, ice, built on kryos, frost. The transfer from ice to the stone rests on an ancient theory: Pliny records the belief that rock crystal was water frozen by intense cold over enormous time, which is why the same word covers both. Its use as a given name belongs to the nineteenth-century fashion for gemstone names that also produced Ruby, Pearl and Opal, and its American peak comes much later than the rest of that group.
Crystal in Use
Crystal peaked in the United States in 1982, when 19,171 babies were registered, and is falling. It now ranks 1,148th in the United States on 202 births, 1,394th in England and Wales on 23 and 6,846th in France, across 341,648 lifetime births in four markets. It is on record from 1884, but almost all of that volume falls within thirty years of the 1982 peak.
How Popular Is Crystal?
In 2025, Crystal was given to 202 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Crystal Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Crystal
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Crystal Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Crystal over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Crystal
- English KRIS-tul /ˈkɹɪs.təl/
2 nicknames for Crystal
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Crystal in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Crystal
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Crystal — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Crystal
What does the name Crystal mean?
Ice, from the Greek krystallos — the same word was used for rock crystal.
Why does the word for crystal mean ice?
Ancient writers believed rock crystal was water frozen so hard over so long that it could never melt.
Is it Crystal or Krystal?
Crystal follows the English word; Krystal is a later respelling. Crystal is far more common on record.
How popular is Crystal?
1,148th in the United States, down from a 1982 peak of 19,171 births.
Is Crystal a girl's or a boy's name?
Crystal is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Crystal?
Crystal has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Crystal?
Crystal is usually shortened to Chris and Crys.
Is Crystal a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Crystal currently ranks #1,148 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.