Kirstein is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
August Kirstein (1856–1939), Austrian architectLincoln Kirstein (1907–1996), American writer, impresario, art connoisseur and cultural figurePeter Kirstein (disambiguation)Peter T. Kirstein, British computer scientistPeter N. Kirstein, American historianPetrus Kirstenius, (1577–1640) German physician and orientalistRoland Kirstein (born 1965), German economistRosemary Kirstein, American writer