Sterling vs Stephen

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

Name A

Sterling

Boy name · Rank #372

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Name B

Stephen

Boy name · Rank #377

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

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

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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