Total births
21,195
Boys' name · since 1910
Stefan
Stefan has 21,195 recorded births since 1910 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1991 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #996
- among boys today
- 21,195
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
21,195 babies have been named Stefan since 1910, making it today's #996 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Stefan recorded 21,195 times among boys since 1910, holding rank #996 nationally today, ahead of 93% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #996 among boys today
- 21,195 born since 1910
- 1990s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Stefan is currently the #996 boys' name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 21,195 born since 1910, peaking in the 1990s.
- #996
- among boys today
- 21,195
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Stefan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#996
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Stefan was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
719 babies were named Stefan in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Stefan compares
21,195 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Stefan's all-time total is 58x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stefan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,195 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 719 | 23 | 22,252 |
Stefan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Stefan's full recorded timeline at 1969, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1911, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 719 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Stefan at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1991
Current rank
#996
Active since
1910
Stefan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 719
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Stefan popularity over time - girls
42 total births recorded since 1977 (Stefan as girls' name)
Stefan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Stefan's strongest decade.
5,399 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Stefan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 115
1910s
115 births
- 1920s 103
1920s
103 births
- 1930s 78
1930s
78 births
- 1940s 262
1940s
262 births
- 1950s 651
1950s
651 births
- 1960s 1,642
1960s
1,642 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,387 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,016 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,399 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,520 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,590 births
- 2020s 1,432
2020s
1,432 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,399 births (25% of all-time use).
How Stefan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Stefan's total volume
Stefan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Stefan by state
Where Stefan concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,369 | 11.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,294 | 10.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 1,222 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,184 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,131 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 965 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 819 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 795 | 3.8% |
California share of Stefan's total US births 11.2%
Even split
2,369 of 21,195 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Stefan appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Stefan? ▼
Stefan has been given to 21,195 babies in the U.S. since 1910, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #996 as of the latest data. 719 babies were born in 1991, its single highest year.
When was Stefan most popular? ▼
Stefan was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,399 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Stefan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Stefan are California (2,369 births), New York (2,294 births), Texas (1,222 births).
How long has the name Stefan been used? ▼
Records for Stefan go back to 1910, giving 116 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Stefan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Steven, Stephen, Steve, Sterling, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Stefan's data
- Stefan's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,399 total births); usage has since declined to 1,432 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Stefans (2,369 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Stefan
Nearby Names Like Stefan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stefan
Steven Boy
#268 1,293,124 births
Stephen Boy
#374 864,739 births
Steve Boy
#1686 241,224 births
Sterling Boy
#370 37,474 births
Stewart Boy
#3898 31,200 births
Compare Stefan side by side: Stefan vs Steven Stefan vs Stephen Stefan vs Steve
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stefan
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Stefan: #996 Boys' Name - 21,195 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/stefan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Stefan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.