girl's name
Krystal
KRIS-tul
- Origin American
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 79,162
Northern Ireland
#496
2018 births
Krystal means ice, and the Greeks believed rock crystal was water frozen so hard it could never melt — which is why the same word names both the mineral and the frost. It peaked in 1985, and holds 77,704 lifetime births.
- Krystal is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1985, when 5,960 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 37,675 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1946.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Krystal over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 39 |
| 1950s | 514 |
| 1960s | 1,720 |
| 1970s | 6,260 |
| 1980s | 37,639 |
| 1990s | 19,115 |
| 2000s | 6,823 |
| 2010s | 2,614 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 652 |
What Krystal means
Krystal means ice, or clear rock crystal. The Greek krystallos names both, because the mineral was believed to be permanently frozen water. The sense passes into the modern name unchanged.
Where Krystal comes from
Krystal respells Crystal, from the Greek krystallos — ice, and by extension rock crystal, which ancient writers took to be water frozen beyond any possibility of thaw. Pliny repeats the theory. The gemstone-name fashion of the Victorian period brought Crystal into use alongside Pearl, Ruby and Opal, and the K-spelling is a late twentieth-century American variant that divides the volume with Crystal and Chrystal.
Krystal in use
Krystal peaked in the United States in 1985, when 5,960 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 2,123rd in the United States on 88 births, 2902nd in England and Wales on 9 and 6286th in France — across 79,162 lifetime births. Our records carry it only from 1948.
How popular is Krystal?
In 2025, Krystal was given to 88 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Krystal 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 Krystal
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Krystal also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Krystal over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Krystal 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 Krystal
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Krystal — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Krystal
What does the name Krystal mean?
Ice — the Greek krystallos, which names both ice and rock crystal.
Why does one word mean both?
Ancient writers believed rock crystal was water frozen so hard it could never melt.
Is it Krystal or Crystal?
Crystal follows the word; Krystal is a late twentieth-century American respelling.
How popular is Krystal?
2123rd in the United States, down from a 1985 peak of 5,960 births.
Is Krystal a girl's or a boy's name?
Krystal is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Krystal?
Krystal has 2 syllables.
Is Krystal a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Krystal currently ranks #2,123 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.