Kristina

What does Kristina mean?

Kristina means “Christian woman,” through Christina. The name comes from Latin Christiana, the feminine form of Christianus, meaning “a Christian.”

Kristina is established across Scandinavia and much of eastern and central Europe, and is also used in English. Its k spelling represents the same opening sound as Christina while giving the name a form especially familiar in Swedish and several Slavic languages.

A European form of Christina

Christina developed within the Christian name tradition, and Kristina became its form in several languages. The name is written Кристина in Russian and some other languages using the Cyrillic alphabet.

Its relatives include Swedish and Norwegian Kristine, Estonian Kristiina, Czech Kristýna, and English Christina. These forms preserve different spellings and pronunciations of the same historical family.

The full name also has a wide range of familiar forms. Tina, Ina, Stina, Kris, and Kristi all belong to documented traditions, with the preferred shortening varying by language.

Queen Kristina of Sweden

Queen Kristina gives the name an important royal association. Born in 1626, she became Sweden's monarch in 1632, with a regency governing during her childhood.

Her coronation took place in 1650. She insisted on wearing the king's crown rather than a crown made for a queen, and her silver throne remains one of the objects closely associated with her reign.

Kristina abdicated in 1654 and left Sweden, subsequently converting to Catholicism. Her reign and departure made her one of the most distinctive figures in seventeenth-century Swedish history, and English accounts often render her name Christina.

Kristina Mladenovic and tennis

French tennis player Kristina Mladenovic gives the name a modern sporting connection. At the 2022 French Open, she partnered Caroline Garcia to win the women's doubles title.

The victory was her sixth Grand Slam women's doubles championship and her fourth at Roland Garros. Mladenovic and Garcia entered the tournament as a wild-card pairing, then went on to take the title.

Mladenovic has also competed successfully in singles.

Pronunciation and familiar forms

English Kristina is pronounced kris-TEE-nuh, with stress on the middle syllable. Swedish, German, and Russian also commonly emphasize that syllable, while Czech places stress at the beginning.

Tina and Ina take their sounds from the ending. Kris and Kristi retain the opening, and Stina is particularly familiar within Scandinavian naming. Christina, Kristine, and Kristiina are related longer forms rather than shortenings.

Kristina in the United States

Kristina reached both its largest American girls' count and its best national rank in 1985, with 5,566 babies and a position of No. 57. It ranked No. 741 in 2015, No. 1,300 in 2020, and No. 1,724 in 2025. Its greatest American popularity therefore came in the later twentieth century.

How popular is Kristina?

In 2025, Kristina ranked #1,724 among girls in the United States, with 118 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1915; its largest annual count was 5,566 in 1985. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.