The name Kirsten first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1937:
- 1939: 16 baby girls named Kirsten
- 1938: 14 baby girls named Kirsten
- 1937: 10 baby girls named Kirsten
- 1936: unlisted
- 1935: unlisted
The reason?
Norwegian opera singer Kirsten (pronounced keer-sten) Flagstad, who became famous in America in the mid-1930s, particularly for playing Wagnerian roles (like Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre). People would have been able to hear her on 1930s radio shows like Kraft Music Hall (NBC) with Bing Crosby and The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (CBS).
Her first name is the Norwegian form of Christina. (She also had an interesting middle name, Malfrid, which is made up of Old Norse elements meaning “ore” and “beautiful.”)
Do you like the name Kirsten?
Sources: Kirsten Flagstad – Wikipedia, Malfrid – Nordic Names Wiki
Growing up, I had a friend named Kirsten, pronounced as you wrote. Later, one of my cousins was named Kirsten, but pronounced “sheer-sten.” According to my aunt and uncle, that’s the Norwegian way. Probably that’s true, but I’m sure my cousin has had a tough time explaining her name.
I had to go watch a documentary on YouTube to see if I could hear Norwegians pronouncing Kirsten with an “sh” sound, and I did! At least it was close to an “sh” sound. It definitely wasn’t a hard “k” sound. How interesting!
I wonder if this has to do with the Norwegian consonant “kj” (e.g., Kjerstin)?
It sounds like a pretty typical girl next door name to me. I knew several Kirstens, some pronounced with the long e and others with the ur sound. I also know some Flagstads. The kj sound is pronounced with the ch sound by some families with a Norwegian surname like Kjell or Kjellstad. It is also said with the kee sound. I assume the pronunciation varied based on what part of the country they were from.
How interesting! Thank you, Andrea, for the extra info.