US rank #269 Boys' name Peak 1956 1,291,851 births

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.

1880s1771890s1861900s3381910s25301920s36391930s48341940s812051950s3336571960s2905991970s1880961980s1774701990s1211042000s539082010s268892020s7219
#269
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 98% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

26% of everyone ever named Steven was born in this single decade.

1956
Single peak year

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' name

Total births

1,291,851

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1956

38,410 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#269

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Steven popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1956)
38,410
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-10,000010,00020,00030,00040,00050,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 17

Steven popularity over time — girls

4,465 total births recorded since 1941 (Steven as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 4,465 births
-50050100150200 201620021993198419751966195719481941 8

Steven by decade

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

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
333,657 births that decade — 26% of Steven's all-time total
1880s1771890s1861900s3381910s25301920s36391930s48341940s812051950s3336571960s2905991970s1880961980s1774701990s1211042000s539082010s268892020s7219

Steven by state

Where Steven concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Steven
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%
California share of Steven's total US births 11.9%
Even split

153,386 of 1,291,851 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Steven appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Steven?
1,291,851 babies have been named Steven since 1880. It currently ranks #269 among boys. The peak year was 1956 with 38,410 births.
When was Steven most popular?
Steven was most popular in the 1950s decade with 333,657 total births. The single peak year was 1956.
Where is Steven most popular?
The top states for the name Steven are California (153,386 births), New York (116,168 births), Illinois (76,630 births).
How long has the name Steven been used?
Steven has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Steven?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Stephen, Steve, Sterling, Stewart, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Steven

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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.