Boys' name · since 1895

Stephan

Since 1895, U.S. Social Security records show 27,681 babies named Stephan, peaking in 1989. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#705 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,841 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
27,681
born since 1895
1950s
peak decade

27,681 babies have been named Stephan since 1895, making it today's #1841 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Stephan recorded 27,681 times among boys since 1895, holding rank #1841 nationally today, ahead of 87% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1895 to 2025.

  • #705 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,841 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 27,681 born since 1895
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stephan ranks #705 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,841 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 27,681 born since 1895, peaking in the 1950s.

#705 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,841 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
27,681
born since 1895
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%86.7%
Stephan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Stephan's 27,681 recorded births place it above 98.44% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

46 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Stephan compares

27,681 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 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

Stephan's all-time total is 75x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Stephan Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 27,681 369 358,536
Peak-year births 579 34 22,252

Stephan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Stephan's full recorded timeline at 1964, 67% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 33% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1895, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 579 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Stephan popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1895–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1989)
579
Annual births at peak, across 131 years of records
0200400600800 189519191935195119671983199920152025 86

Stephan popularity over time - girls

229 total births recorded since 1956 (Stephan as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 229 births
05101520 19561964196819721978198419881995 8

Stephan by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (4,498 births, 16% of the file).

1950s was Stephan's strongest decade.

4,498 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.

Stephan births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 4,498 births (16% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Stephan 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 Stephan's total volume

Stephan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.8%-141, 5.4%-128, 3.4%-108, 4.2%-146, 2.6%-67, 4.2%-69, 6.6%-114, 6.8%-65, 4.6%-144, 3%-105, 7.1%-146, 3%-116, 4%-53, 8.2%-146, 2.1%Stephan-131, 2.1%Stephan
Stephan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Stephan by state

Where Stephan concentrates geographically, total births since 1895

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Stephan
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
2,978 10.8%
#2 New York
2,892 10.4%
#3 Illinois
1,637 5.9%
#4 Ohio
1,551 5.6%
#5 Florida
1,279 4.6%
#6 Texas
1,255 4.5%
#7 Pennsylvania
1,241 4.5%
#8 Michigan
1,202 4.3%
California share of Stephan's total US births 10.8%
Even split

2,978 of 27,681 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.

Stephan appears in 46 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Stephan? ▼
27,681 babies have been named Stephan since 1895. All-time, it sits at #705 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,841 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1989 with 579 births.
Where does Stephan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stephan ranks #705 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,841 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Stephan most popular? ▼
Stephan was most popular in the 1950s decade with 4,498 total births. The single peak year was 1989.
Where is Stephan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Stephan are California (2,978 births), New York (2,892 births), Illinois (1,637 births).
How long has the name Stephan been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Stephan since 1895 -- 131 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Stephan? ▼
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 Stephan's data

  • Stephan's decade-level peak was the 1950s (4,498 total births); usage has since declined to 699 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Stephans (2,978 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Stephan

Nearby Names Like Stephan

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stephan

Steven Boy
#271 1,293,124 births
Stephen Boy
#383 864,739 births
Steve Boy
#1609 241,224 births
Sterling Boy
#346 37,474 births
Stewart Boy
#3952 31,200 births

Compare Stephan side by side: Stephan vs Steven Stephan vs Stephen Stephan vs Steve

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Stephan

Nile #1840
3,696 births · Peak 2021
Mendel #1842
2,942 births · Peak 2024
Jennings #1839
4,878 births · Peak 1926
Kennedy #1843
7,457 births · Peak 1964
Olin #1838
9,929 births · Peak 1921
Maximillian #1844
5,968 births · Peak 1999
Lonnie #1837
94,486 births · Peak 1947
Artemis #1845
847 births · Peak 2022

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Stephan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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, 1895–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

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 Stephan 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 August 2026.