Meaning: Its source is Christiana, a Latin name meaning "Christ's follower."

Languages: This girl's name is used in German, Dutch, English, Norwegian and Danish.

Nicknames: Kirsi and Kirssy

Alternative Spellings: Kearsten, Kearstin, Kersten, Kerston, Kerstyn, Kierstan, Kiersten, Kierstin, Kierston, Kierstyn, Kiirsten, Kirstan, Kirstin, Kyrsten and Kyrstin

Variant Forms: Karstin, Kirssan, Kirsteen, Kursten, Kurstin and Kyrsta

Source Forms: Christiana

Popularity: The name Kirsten ranked 268th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 632nd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: The influence of religion on names is evident throughout the world. For example, it is a tenet of Islam that the best names either refer to attributes of Allah or are derived from hamida, an Arabic word meaning ''praise.'' Names used on the Indian subcontinent often refer to the deities of Hinduism.

Though Christiana's direct refererence to Christianity is exceptional, names with ties to the West's predominant religion are far from unusual. Many Hebrew-derived names reflect Christianity's Jewish heritage. Greek- and Latin-derived names witness the church's early development in the Mediterranean basin. Finally, many Germanic and Gaelic names honor saints who spread Christianity throughout northern Europe.