US rank #1681 Boys' name Peak 1959 241,122 births

Steve — #1681 US boys' name

241,122 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.

1880s6181890s7521900s13071910s96381920s113541930s85721940s362831950s642151960s656201970s166541980s103911990s76552000s50972010s23482020s618
#1681
of 14,243 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

11,067 babies were named Steve in 1959 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Steve

The Social Security Administration has registered 241,122 babies named Steve between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Steve currently holds the #1681 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1959, when 11,067 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Steve performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 65,620 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Steve shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 33,551 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Ohio. In total, SSA state-level files list Steve in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Steve in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 241,122 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Steve at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

241,122

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1959

11,067 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#1,681

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Steve popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
11,067
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 52

Steve popularity over time — girls

907 total births recorded since 1912 (Steve as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 907 births
010203040 199819841974196419541944192919181912 5

Steve by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
65,620 births that decade — 27% of Steve's all-time total
1880s6181890s7521900s13071910s96381920s113541930s85721940s362831950s642151960s656201970s166541980s103911990s76552000s50972010s23482020s618

Steve by state

Where Steve concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Steve
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
33,551 13.9%
#2 Texas
15,078 6.3%
#3 Ohio
14,190 5.9%
#4 Illinois
14,084 5.8%
#5 Pennsylvania
12,306 5.1%
#6 New York
12,296 5.1%
#7 Michigan
10,007 4.2%
#8 Indiana
7,149 3.0%
California share of Steve's total US births 13.9%
Even split

33,551 of 241,122 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?
241,122 babies have been named Steve since 1880. It currently ranks #1681 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 11,067 births.
When was Steve most popular?
Steve was most popular in the 1960s decade with 65,620 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Steve most popular?
The top states for the name Steve are California (33,551 births), Texas (15,078 births), Ohio (14,190 births).
How long has the name Steve been used?
Steve has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Steve

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.