Stephen vs Steve

Side-by-side comparison of Stephen and Steve — 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

Steve

Boy name · Rank #1681

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Stephen Steve
Current Rank #377 #1681
Total Births (all years) 863,904 241,122
Peak Year 1952 1959
Peak Year Births 23,054 11,067
Peak Decade 1950ss 1960ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Stephen Steve
1880ss 1,684 618
1890ss 1,733 752
1900ss 2,247 1,307
1910ss 13,503 9,638
1920ss 15,557 11,354
1930ss 18,272 8,572
1940ss 106,810 36,283
1950ss 207,276 64,215
1960ss 152,231 65,620
1970ss 107,812 16,654
1980ss 113,635 10,391
1990ss 75,164 7,655
2000ss 28,901 5,097
2010ss 14,418 2,348
2020ss 4,661 618

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Stephen Steve
2014 1,452 256
2015 1,496 224
2016 1,379 205
2017 1,333 189
2018 1,245 167
2019 1,094 159
2020 1,023 148
2021 958 135
2022 918 122
2023 898 114
2024 864 99

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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