Steven — #269 US boys' name
1,291,851 babies named Steven in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1956. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
26% of everyone ever named Steven was born in this single decade.
38,410 babies were named Steven in 1956 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Steven
The Social Security Administration has registered 1,291,851 babies named Steven between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Steven currently holds the #269 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1956, when 38,410 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Steven performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 333,657 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Steven shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 153,386 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Steven in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.
No etymological entry is currently available for Steven 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 1,291,851 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.
Steven at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
Current rank
Active since
Steven popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1956)
- 38,410
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #269 among boys.
1,291,851 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1956 with 38,410 births in a single year.
Steven popularity over time — girls
4,465 total births recorded since 1941 (Steven as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Steven accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Steven by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1950s
- 333,657 births that decade — 26% of Steven's all-time total
Steven decade highlights
- Peak decade 333,657 births
- Runner-up 290,599 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1950s was Steven's strongest decade
333,657 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 26% of all-time use.
Steven by state
Where Steven concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 153,386 | 11.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 116,168 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 76,630 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 65,358 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 62,567 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Texas | | 62,163 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 57,711 | 4.5% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 39,816 | 3.1% |
153,386 of 1,291,851 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 11.9% of nationwide
- New York 9.0% of nationwide
- Illinois 5.9% of nationwide
- Ohio 5.1% of nationwide
- Michigan 4.8% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 11.9% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Steven appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Steven? ▼
When was Steven most popular? ▼
Where is Steven most popular? ▼
How long has the name Steven been used? ▼
What names are similar to Steven? ▼
Keep exploring Steven
Nearby Names Like Steven
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Steven
Compare Steven side by side: Steven vs Stephen Steven vs Steve Steven vs Sterling
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Steven
Baby Name Guides
Learn more about naming trends and how to use data to choose a name
Explore more names
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.