US Name Trends

Steve

A pet form of Stephen, Greek for “crown.”

1959peak year
No. 41best rank (1959)
242,131babies since 1880
outside top 1000 in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Steve per year — peak 11,068▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

Steve appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1943 to 1969. Its biggest year was 1959, when 11,068 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 41 nationally. All told, 242,131 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other names that share a story: Stephen

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By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s618No. 177
1890s752No. 171
1900s1,307No. 140
1910s9,638No. 108
1920s11,354No. 127
1930s8,572No. 139
1940s36,286No. 58
1950s64,212No. 41
1960s65,619No. 43
1970s16,652No. 114
1980s10,392No. 201
1990s7,654No. 267
2000s5,097No. 393
2010s2,348No. 707
2020s723No. 1250

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.