Total births
745,148
Girls' name · since 1891
Stephanie
Stephanie has 745,148 recorded births since 1891 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #534
- among girls today
- 745,148
- born since 1891
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Stephanie currently ranks #534 among girls' names in America, with 745,148 babies recorded since 1891.
Stephanie has 745,148 recorded births among girls since 1891, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #534 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1891 to 2025.
- #534 among girls today
- 745,148 born since 1891
- 1980s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Stephanie is currently the #534 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 745,148 born since 1891, peaking in the 1980s.
- #534
- among girls today
- 745,148
- born since 1891
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Stephanie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#534
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Stephanie was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
24,864 babies were named Stephanie in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Stephanie compares
745,148 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Stephanie's all-time total is 1,951x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stephanie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 745,148 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 24,864 | 48 | 19,840 |
Stephanie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Stephanie's SSA record in two at 1958 and the more recent half accounts for 94% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 6%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1891, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1990 peak of 24,864, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Stephanie at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1990
Current rank
#534
Active since
1891
Stephanie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1891–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 24,864
- Annual births at peak, across 135 years of records
Stephanie popularity over time - boys
2,638 total births recorded since 1947 (Stephanie as boys' name)
Stephanie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Stephanie's strongest decade.
218,173 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Stephanie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 100
1890s
100 births
- 1900s 363
1900s
363 births
- 1910s 2,673
1910s
2,673 births
- 1920s 1,988
1920s
1,988 births
- 1930s 1,603
1930s
1,603 births
- 1940s 11,936
1940s
11,936 births
- 1950s 35,557
1950s
35,557 births
- 1960s
1960s
92,821 births
- 1970s
1970s
160,468 births
- 1980s
1980s
218,173 births
- 1990s
1990s
149,836 births
- 2000s 49,960
2000s
49,960 births
- 2010s 15,843
2010s
15,843 births
- 2020s 3,827
2020s
3,827 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 218,173 births (29% of all-time use).
How Stephanie compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Stephanie's total volume
Stephanie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Stephanie by state
Where Stephanie concentrates geographically, total births since 1891
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 101,692 | 13.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 61,470 | 8.2% |
| #3 | New York | | 56,946 | 7.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 35,962 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 33,848 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 33,120 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Florida | | 32,370 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 25,916 | 3.5% |
California share of Stephanie's total US births 13.6%
Even split
101,692 of 745,148 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Stephanie appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Stephanie? ▼
745,148 babies have been named Stephanie since 1891. It currently ranks #534 among girls. The peak year was 1990 with 24,864 births.
When was Stephanie most popular? ▼
Stephanie was most popular in the 1980s decade with 218,173 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Stephanie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Stephanie are California (101,692 births), Texas (61,470 births), New York (56,946 births).
How long has the name Stephanie been used? ▼
Records for Stephanie go back to 1891, giving 135 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Stephanie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Stella, Stefanie, Stevie, Stephany, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Stephanie's data
- Stephanie's decade-level peak was the 1980s (218,173 total births); usage has since declined to 3,827 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Stephanies (101,692 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 Stephanie
Nearby Names Like Stephanie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stephanie
Stella Girl
#49 206,906 births
Stefanie Girl
#5313 37,144 births
Stevie Girl
#209 17,746 births
Stephany Girl
#2753 15,171 births
Stefani Girl
#6002 7,033 births
Compare Stephanie side by side: Stephanie vs Stella Stephanie vs Stefanie Stephanie vs Stevie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stephanie
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, 1891–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Stephanie: #534 Girls' Name - 745,148 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/stephanie. 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 Stephanie 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.