Boys' name · since 1880
Stephen
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 864,739 babies named Stephen, peaking in 1952. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #37 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #383 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 864,739
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Stephen is the #383 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 864,739 recorded since 1880.
Stephen has 864,739 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #383 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #37 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #383 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 864,739 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stephen ranks #37 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #383 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 864,739 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #37 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #383 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 864,739
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Stephen's 864,739 recorded births place it above 99.91% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Stephen compares
864,739 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Stephen's all-time total is 2,343x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stephen | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 864,739 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 23,055 | 34 | 22,252 |
Stephen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Stephen's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 74% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 26%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 140 births recorded -- set against the 1952 peak of 23,055, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Stephen popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 23,055
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Stephen popularity over time - girls
2,930 total births recorded since 1912 (Stephen as girls' name)
Stephen by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (207,276 births, 24% of the file).
1950s was Stephen's strongest decade.
207,276 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Stephen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,684
1880s
1,684 births
- 1890s 1,733
1890s
1,733 births
- 1900s 2,247
1900s
2,247 births
- 1910s 13,502
1910s
13,502 births
- 1920s 15,556
1920s
15,556 births
- 1930s 18,272
1930s
18,272 births
- 1940s
1940s
106,812 births
- 1950s
1950s
207,276 births
- 1960s
1960s
152,240 births
- 1970s
1970s
107,804 births
- 1980s
1980s
113,631 births
- 1990s 75,160
1990s
75,160 births
- 2000s 28,902
2000s
28,902 births
- 2010s 14,422
2010s
14,422 births
- 2020s 5,498
2020s
5,498 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 207,276 births (24% of all-time use).
How Stephen 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 Stephen's total volume
Stephen by state
Where Stephen concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 89,588 | 10.4% |
| #2 | California | | 69,479 | 8.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 66,737 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 47,771 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Texas | | 47,454 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 42,801 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 38,008 | 4.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 33,009 | 3.8% |
89,588 of 864,739 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Stephen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Stephen? ▼
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When was Stephen most popular? ▼
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What to do with Stephen's data
- Stephen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (207,276 total births); usage has since declined to 5,498 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Stephens (89,588 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Stephen
Nearby Names Like Stephen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stephen
Compare Stephen side by side: Stephen vs Steven Stephen vs Steve Stephen vs Sterling
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stephen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Stephen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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, 1880–2025 (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 Stephen 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.