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

Languages: This girl's name is used in German, English, Finnish, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Swedish and Danish.

Nicknames: Kia, Kris, Krista, Kristie and Kristy

Variant Forms: Kerstin and Kristen

Popularity: The name Kristina ranked 260th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 290th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists of the 1990s, and has been trending upward in usage ever since.

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.