Total births
241,224
Boys' name · since 1880
Steve
241,224 babies named Steve in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1686
- among boys today
- 241,224
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
241,224 babies have been named Steve since 1880, making it today's #1686 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Steve recorded 241,224 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1686 nationally today, ahead of 88% of boys, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1686 among boys today
- 241,224 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Steve is currently the #1686 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 241,224 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1686
- among boys today
- 241,224
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Steve vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1686
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Steve was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
11,068 babies were named Steve in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Steve compares
241,224 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Steve's all-time total is 657x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Steve | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 241,224 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 11,068 | 23 | 22,252 |
Steve's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Steve's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 66% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 34%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 44 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 11,068, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Steve at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#1,686
Active since
1880
Steve popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 11,068
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Steve popularity over time - girls
907 total births recorded since 1912 (Steve as girls' name)
Steve by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Steve's strongest decade.
65,619 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Steve births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 618
1880s
618 births
- 1890s 752
1890s
752 births
- 1900s 1,307
1900s
1,307 births
- 1910s 9,638
1910s
9,638 births
- 1920s 11,354
1920s
11,354 births
- 1930s 8,572
1930s
8,572 births
- 1940s
1940s
36,286 births
- 1950s
1950s
64,212 births
- 1960s
1960s
65,619 births
- 1970s 16,652
1970s
16,652 births
- 1980s 10,392
1980s
10,392 births
- 1990s 7,654
1990s
7,654 births
- 2000s 5,097
2000s
5,097 births
- 2010s 2,348
2010s
2,348 births
- 2020s 723
2020s
723 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 65,619 births (27% of all-time use).
How Steve 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 Steve's total volume
Steve vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Steve by state
Where Steve concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 33,571 | 13.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 15,085 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 14,192 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 14,091 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 12,305 | 5.1% |
| #6 | New York | | 12,300 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 10,007 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 7,148 | 3.0% |
California share of Steve's total US births 13.9%
Even split
33,571 of 241,224 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Steve appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Steve? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 241,224 babies named Steve. Today it holds rank #1686 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1959, with 11,068 births.
When was Steve most popular? ▼
Steve was most popular in the 1960s decade with 65,619 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Steve most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Steve are California (33,571 births), Texas (15,085 births), Ohio (14,192 births).
How long has the name Steve been used? ▼
Steve has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Steve? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Steven, Stephen, Sterling, Stewart, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Steve's data
- Steve's decade-level peak was the 1960s (65,619 total births); usage has since declined to 723 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Steves (33,571 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 Steve
Nearby Names Like Steve
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Steve
Steven Boy
#268 1,293,124 births
Stephen Boy
#374 864,739 births
Sterling Boy
#370 37,474 births
Stewart Boy
#3898 31,200 births
Stephan Boy
#1711 27,681 births
Compare Steve side by side: Steve vs Steven Steve vs Stephen Steve vs Sterling
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Steve
Fred #1685
343,655 births · Peak 1924
Myron #1687
45,369 births · Peak 1930
Riggins #1684
984 births · Peak 2023
Arnold #1688
103,846 births · Peak 1924
Sire #1683
1,715 births · Peak 2022
Karl #1689
100,836 births · Peak 1960
Deegan #1682
3,453 births · Peak 2011
Woodrow #1690
39,107 births · Peak 1918
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Steve: #1686 Boys' Name - 241,224 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/steve. 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 Steve 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.