Steven vs Sterling

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

Name A

Steven

Boy name · Rank #269

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Name B

Sterling

Boy name · Rank #372

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Steven Sterling
Current Rank #269 #372
Total Births (all years) 1,291,851 36,521
Peak Year 1956 2024
Peak Year Births 38,410 880
Peak Decade 1950ss 2010ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Steven Sterling
1880ss 177 168
1890ss 186 233
1900ss 338 352
1910ss 2,530 1,608
1920ss 3,639 2,533
1930ss 4,834 1,904
1940ss 81,205 2,334
1950ss 333,657 2,570
1960ss 290,599 2,496
1970ss 188,096 2,072
1980ss 177,470 2,967
1990ss 121,104 4,709
2000ss 53,908 3,027
2010ss 26,889 5,463
2020ss 7,219 4,085

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Steven Sterling
2014 2,809 552
2015 2,715 595
2016 2,400 671
2017 2,167 712
2018 2,044 783
2019 1,978 753
2020 1,679 767
2021 1,512 844
2022 1,350 802
2023 1,394 792
2024 1,284 880

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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