Stephen
Stephen was given to 829 boys in 2025, #383 among boys’ names; 867,669 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 637,000 Americans named Stephen and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (74% of everyone recorded); the median is 56 years old and half are between 40 and 69.
Stephen is the #36 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Stephen by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Stephen mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Stephen is “a male given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the senses “crown, wreath” (στέφανος) and “to put round, to surround” (στέφω).
From Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”). From *stegʷʰ- (“to enlace”) + -νος (-nos, suffix forming an adjective or noun) from Proto-Indo-European *-nós (suffix forming a verbal adjective from a verb stem).
/ˈstiːvən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Stephen?
#383 among boys’ names, 2025
Stephen fell from #246 in 2015 to #383 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.78 to 0.49 per 1,000.
23,082 babies in 1952, the peak
Stephen peaked in 1952, when 23,082 babies were given it (23,055 boys, #21 among boys’ names). The 829 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 829 | #383 | 0.49 |
| 2024 | 870 | #375 | 0.50 |
| 2023 | 898 | #363 | 0.52 |
| 2022 | 919 | #358 | 0.53 |
| 2021 | 958 | #342 | 0.55 |
| 2020 | 1,024 | #322 | 0.59 |
| 2019 | 1,095 | #310 | 0.61 |
| 2018 | 1,246 | #283 | 0.69 |
| 2017 | 1,334 | #270 | 0.72 |
| 2016 | 1,379 | #265 | 0.73 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,497 | #246 | 0.78 |
| 2014 | 1,452 | #257 | 0.76 |
| 2013 | 1,452 | #252 | 0.77 |
| 2012 | 1,568 | #225 | 0.83 |
| 2011 | 1,579 | #229 | 0.83 |
| 2010 | 1,820 | #201 | 0.95 |
| 2009 | 1,920 | #200 | 1.0 |
| 2008 | 2,092 | #192 | 1.0 |
| 2007 | 2,376 | #172 | 1.1 |
| 2006 | 2,552 | #164 | 1.2 |
| 2005 | 2,745 | #143 | 1.4 |
| 2004 | 2,851 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | 3,142 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 2002 | 3,349 | #114 | 1.7 |
| 2001 | 3,738 | #102 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 4,137 | #95 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 4,543 | #85 | 2.4 |
| 1998 | 5,013 | #78 | 2.6 |
| 1997 | 5,414 | #68 | 2.9 |
| 1996 | 6,008 | #59 | 3.2 |
| 1995 | 6,556 | #57 | 3.4 |
| 1994 | 7,481 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1993 | 8,369 | #47 | 4.3 |
| 1992 | 9,308 | #45 | 4.7 |
| 1991 | 10,525 | #41 | 5.2 |
| 1990 | 11,943 | #39 | 5.8 |
| 1989 | 11,736 | #40 | 5.9 |
| 1988 | 11,607 | #40 | 6.1 |
| 1987 | 11,550 | #38 | 6.2 |
| 1986 | 11,877 | #36 | 6.4 |
| 1985 | 12,210 | #36 | 6.6 |
| 1984 | 12,096 | #35 | 6.7 |
| 1983 | 11,564 | #35 | 6.5 |
| 1982 | 10,627 | #38 | 5.9 |
| 1981 | 10,302 | #39 | 5.8 |
| 1980 | 10,062 | #40 | 5.6 |
| 1979 | 9,903 | #40 | 5.8 |
| 1978 | 9,854 | #37 | 6.0 |
| 1977 | 9,635 | #38 | 5.9 |
| 1976 | 9,727 | #37 | 6.2 |
| 1975 | 9,732 | #34 | 6.2 |
| 1974 | 10,101 | #35 | 6.4 |
| 1973 | 9,955 | #32 | 6.4 |
| 1972 | 11,037 | #29 | 6.8 |
| 1971 | 13,102 | #27 | 7.4 |
| 1970 | 14,758 | #27 | 7.9 |
| 1969 | 15,090 | #27 | 8.4 |
| 1968 | 14,761 | #27 | 8.5 |
| 1967 | 15,087 | #26 | 8.7 |
| 1966 | 14,742 | #26 | 8.3 |
| 1965 | 14,648 | #28 | 7.9 |
| 1964 | 14,968 | #29 | 7.5 |
| 1963 | 14,992 | #29 | 7.4 |
| 1962 | 15,616 | #28 | 7.5 |
| 1961 | 16,069 | #27 | 7.6 |
| 1960 | 16,267 | #27 | 7.6 |
| 1959 | 16,504 | #28 | 7.7 |
| 1958 | 17,962 | #26 | 8.5 |
| 1957 | 19,726 | #24 | 9.1 |
| 1956 | 21,204 | #23 | 10.0 |
| 1955 | 22,155 | #21 | 10.8 |
| 1954 | 21,878 | #20 | 10.7 |
| 1953 | 21,807 | #21 | 11.1 |
| 1952 | 23,055 | #21 | 11.9 |
| 1951 | 22,474 | #19 | 11.9 |
| 1950 | 20,511 | #19 | 11.5 |
| 1949 | 20,488 | #19 | 11.5 |
| 1948 | 17,061 | #20 | 9.7 |
| 1947 | 15,328 | #21 | 8.4 |
| 1946 | 11,832 | #24 | 7.3 |
| 1945 | 8,641 | #26 | 6.4 |
| 1944 | 7,793 | #28 | 5.7 |
| 1943 | 7,932 | #29 | 5.6 |
| 1942 | 7,503 | #32 | 5.4 |
| 1941 | 5,811 | #41 | 4.7 |
| 1940 | 4,423 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1939 | 3,176 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1938 | 2,726 | #74 | 2.5 |
| 1937 | 2,133 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1936 | 1,862 | #99 | 1.8 |
| 1935 | 1,650 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 1934 | 1,424 | #121 | 1.4 |
| 1933 | 1,321 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1932 | 1,389 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1931 | 1,334 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1,257 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1929 | 1,357 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1928 | 1,335 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1927 | 1,446 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1926 | 1,335 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1925 | 1,482 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1924 | 1,635 | #110 | 1.4 |
| 1923 | 1,605 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1922 | 1,722 | #101 | 1.6 |
| 1921 | 1,868 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1920 | 1,771 | #96 | 1.7 |
| 1919 | 1,693 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1918 | 1,843 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 1917 | 1,892 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1916 | 1,877 | #87 | 2.1 |
| 1915 | 1,850 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1914 | 1,486 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1913 | 1,097 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1912 | 928 | #88 | 2.2 |
| 1911 | 486 | #84 | 2.2 |
| 1910 | 350 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 1909 | 314 | #91 | 1.9 |
| 1908 | 280 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1907 | 273 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1906 | 207 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1905 | 246 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1904 | 178 | #117 | 1.4 |
| 1903 | 200 | #96 | 1.7 |
| 1902 | 210 | #94 | 1.7 |
| 1901 | 158 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1900 | 181 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1899 | 178 | #98 | 1.7 |
| 1898 | 195 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1897 | 194 | #94 | 1.7 |
| 1896 | 164 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1895 | 179 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1894 | 174 | #103 | 1.5 |
| 1893 | 175 | #101 | 1.6 |
| 1892 | 178 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1891 | 140 | #106 | 1.4 |
| 1890 | 156 | #109 | 1.4 |
| 1889 | 164 | #101 | 1.5 |
| 1888 | 187 | #98 | 1.5 |
| 1887 | 165 | #92 | 1.6 |
| 1886 | 181 | #90 | 1.6 |
| 1885 | 158 | #93 | 1.5 |
| 1884 | 165 | #93 | 1.4 |
| 1883 | 140 | #98 | 1.3 |
| 1882 | 201 | #81 | 1.8 |
| 1881 | 147 | #89 | 1.5 |
| 1880 | 176 | #84 | 1.6 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Stephen a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Stephen has been given almost only to boys: 2,930 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Stephen: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Stephen, and how old are they?
637,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 74% of the 867,669 Americans ever recorded as Stephen. The median Stephen alive today is 56 years old; half are between 40 and 69.
The 2020 Census counted 665,596 people named Stephen (704 women and girls, 664,892 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 684,199 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 18,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 231,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 169,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 156,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 48,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 14,800 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Stephen born?
The states with the most babies named Stephen are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 26% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 89,741 | #332 | 1.3× |
| California | 69,699 | #432 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 66,794 | #200 | 1.4× |
| Massachusetts | 47,819 | #287 | 2.0× |
| Texas | 47,544 | #433 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 42,826 | #339 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 38,028 | #529 | 0.8× |
| New Jersey | 33,014 | #343 | 1.3× |
| Michigan | 29,985 | #407 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 24,953 | #449 | 1.0× |
Where Stephen is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Stephen is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 2.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Stephen with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 2,204,580 babies since 1880, Stephen is the second most given (39% of them). In 2025 it was given to 829 of their 2,235 babies (37%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Stephen
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Stephen and names like it
- Compare Stephen and StevenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sStephen peaked in 1952.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Stephen since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Stephen: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1952The year the most babies were named Stephen.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Stephen alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with SMost given first.