Stephen vs Sterling

Side-by-side comparison of Stephen and Sterling — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Stephen

Boy name · Rank #377

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Name B

Sterling

Boy name · Rank #372

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Stephen Sterling
Current Rank #377 #372
Total Births (all years) 863,904 36,521
Peak Year 1952 2024
Peak Year Births 23,054 880
Peak Decade 1950ss 2010ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Stephen Sterling
1880ss 1,684 168
1890ss 1,733 233
1900ss 2,247 352
1910ss 13,503 1,608
1920ss 15,557 2,533
1930ss 18,272 1,904
1940ss 106,810 2,334
1950ss 207,276 2,570
1960ss 152,231 2,496
1970ss 107,812 2,072
1980ss 113,635 2,967
1990ss 75,164 4,709
2000ss 28,901 3,027
2010ss 14,418 5,463
2020ss 4,661 4,085

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Stephen Sterling
2014 1,452 552
2015 1,496 595
2016 1,379 671
2017 1,333 712
2018 1,245 783
2019 1,094 753
2020 1,023 767
2021 958 844
2022 918 802
2023 898 792
2024 864 880

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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