Stephen
Greek Stephanos, “crown” or “wreath,” borne by the first Christian martyr.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Stephen appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 95 different years between 1880 and 2000. Its biggest year was 1952, when 23,055 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 21 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1949, at No. 19. In 2025 it ranked No. 383 for boys. All told, 867,669 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Steven (1,297,590), Stephan (27,910), Stefan (21,237), Stephon (8,822), Stevan (4,129), Stephane (1,830) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Stephanie, Steve
Explore Stephen interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,684 | No. 81 |
| 1890s | 1,733 | No. 94 |
| 1900s | 2,247 | No. 90 |
| 1910s | 13,502 | No. 80 |
| 1920s | 15,556 | No. 96 |
| 1930s | 18,272 | No. 65 |
| 1940s | 106,812 | No. 19 |
| 1950s | 207,276 | No. 19 |
| 1960s | 152,240 | No. 26 |
| 1970s | 107,804 | No. 27 |
| 1980s | 113,631 | No. 35 |
| 1990s | 75,160 | No. 39 |
| 2000s | 28,902 | No. 95 |
| 2010s | 14,422 | No. 201 |
| 2020s | 5,498 | No. 322 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.