Stephen

Last seen for girls in 2007 at #15,491 · #383 for boys in 2025, 829 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1951 · 22,474 births
Debut · boys
176 births
In top 100 · boys
95 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
864,739
since 1880

Stephen over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201971peak #19, 1951boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#383829
2024#374870
2023#363898
2022#358919
2021#339958
2020#3221,024
2019#3101,095
2018#2831,246
2017#2701,334
2016#2651,379
2015#2461,497
2014#2571,452
2013#2521,452
2012#2251,568
2011#2281,579
2010#2011,820
2009#1991,920
2008#1912,092
2007#15,4916#1722,376
2006#1642,552
2005#10,9219#1432,745
2004#9,89210#1402,851
2003#13,8446#1283,142
2002#9,48210#1143,349
2001#1023,738
2000#10,7458#954,137
1999#6,83614#854,543
1998#11,1387#785,013
1997#6,48314#685,414
1996#5,28018#596,008
1995#5,01919#576,556
1994#5,44517#497,481
1993#6,26414#478,369
1992#2,83042#459,308
1991#2,93539#4110,525
1990#3,07836#3911,943
1989#2,07260#4011,736
1988#1,83967#4011,607
1987#1,63075#3811,550
1986#1,48484#3611,877
1985#1,35097#3612,210
1984#1,51175#3512,096
1983#1,46379#3511,564
1982#1,62171#3810,627
1981#1,76763#3910,302
1980#1,69267#4010,062
1979#1,73163#409,903
1978#1,39783#379,854
1977#1,70161#389,635
1976#1,55165#379,727
1975#1,45970#349,732
1974#1,76051#3510,101
1973#1,39970#329,955
1972#1,74950#2911,037
1971#1,42773#2713,102
1970#1,50566#2714,758
1969#1,51761#2715,090
1968#1,41863#2714,761
1967#1,28171#2615,087
1966#1,51554#2614,742
1965#1,99334#2814,648
1964#1,89239#2914,968
1963#1,83940#2914,992
1962#2,16330#2815,616
1961#1,95535#2716,069
1960#1,58050#2716,267
1959#2,15228#2816,504
1958#1,55747#2617,962
1957#1,72839#2419,726
1956#1,79635#2321,204
1955#1,80334#2122,155
1954#2,12225#2021,878
1953#1,62237#2121,807
1952#1,93427#2123,055
1951#1,33948#1922,474
1950#1,67931#1920,511
1949#1,54336#1920,488
1948#1,66931#2017,061
1947#2,20020#2115,328
1946#1,48135#2411,832
1945#1,69924#268,641
1944#1,96719#287,793
1943#1,99419#297,932
1942#1,76023#327,503
1941#1,95418#415,811
1940#2,29713#494,423
1939#3,1458#653,176
1938#3,1818#742,726
1937#3,1468#922,133
1936#3,3767#991,862
1935#3,7426#1131,650
1934#1211,424
1933#2,68810#1261,321
1932#2,64411#1241,389
1931#3,8486#1291,334
1930#2,11016#1381,257
1929#3,1379#1261,357
1928#2,95410#1301,335
1927#3,5618#1251,446
1926#3,8737#1301,335
1925#3,3629#1221,482
1924#4,0027#1101,635
1923#4,9675#1091,605
1922#2,95811#1011,722
1921#3,6668#971,868
1920#961,771
1919#3,2199#971,693
1918#3,02410#961,843
1917#4,5945#891,892
1916#871,877
1915#2,9009#861,850
1914#3,1886#801,486
1913#2,8276#861,097
1912#2,6346#88928
1911#83486
1910#95350
1909#90314
1908#94280
1907#94273
1906#102207
1905#93246
1904#117178
1903#96200
1902#94210
1901#108158
1900#127181
1899#97178
1898#98195
1897#94194
1896#113164
1895#103179
1894#103174
1893#101175
1892#104178
1891#106140
1890#107156
1889#101164
1888#98187
1887#91165
1886#89181
1885#93158
1884#93165
1883#97140
1882#81201
1881#88147
1880#84176
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Stephen was already there! It came in at #84, and was given to 176 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1904, when fewer than 220 boys a year got the name.

See more about Stephen
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 9 spots since 2024 (#374#383)
  • 61 spots since 2020 (#322#383)
  • 137 spots since 2015 (#246#383)
  • Biggest jump: 24 spots in 1905 (#117#93)
  • Biggest drop: 30 spots in 1900 (#97#127)
Rise & fade · boys
71 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1951 at #19 (22,474 births)
  • Births halved by 1972, 21 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 95 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 95 yrs · run 1936–2000
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 84
  • Highest: 1 in 84 boys born in 1951 were named Stephen (1.2%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,060 boys born in 2025 (0.05%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 24.0% of all boys named Stephen (207,276) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,684#81 (1882)#92
1890s1,733#94 (1897)#103
1900s2,247#90 (1909)#102
1910s13,502#80 (1914)#89
1920s15,556#96 (1920)#115
1930s18,272#65 (1939)#108
1940s106,812#19 (1949)#29
1950s207,276#19 (1951)#22
1960s152,240#26 (1967)#27
1970s107,804#27 (1970)#34
1980s113,631#35 (1984)#38
1990s75,160#39 (1990)#57
2000s28,902#95 (2000)#145
2010s14,422#201 (2010)#254
2020s5,498#322 (2020)#357

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Stephen in 1971

girls
#1,427
73 births · 1 in 22,792 girls
boys
#27
13,102 births · 1 in 135 boys

Top girls' names in 1971

  1. #1Jennifer56,771
  2. #2Michelle33,160
  3. #3Lisa32,907
  4. #4Kimberly30,708
  5. #5Amy26,237
  6. #6Angela25,901
  7. #7Melissa23,875
  8. #8Tammy17,656
  9. #9Mary16,703
  10. #10Julie15,322
  11. #1,427Stephen73

Top boys' names in 1971

  1. #1Michael77,577
  2. #2James54,597
  3. #3David53,113
  4. #4John51,512
  5. #5Robert50,634
  6. #6Christopher48,225
  7. #7William35,413
  8. #8Jason34,173
  9. #9Brian32,624
  10. #10Scott30,901
  11. #27Stephen13,102
More about 1971

girls

1,663,823 girls got a published name in 1971; 1 in 22,792 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 85.2% of the 9,645 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Stephen
  1. #1,415Margot74
  2. #1,415Nedra74
  3. #1,415Renata74
  4. #1,427Stephen73
  5. #1,427Alesha73
  6. #1,427Cathrine73
  7. #1,427Estelle73
  8. #1,445Abbie72
  9. #1,445Bernadine72
  10. #1,445Carina72

Tied with 17 names at #1,427; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1970
Risers
  1. 2,115Yesenia#2,522#407
  2. 1,431Shayla#2,267#836
  3. 853Ebony#1,681#828
  4. 749Consuela#1,706#957
  5. 510Candida#1,196#686
Fallers
  1. 572Sebrina#916#1,488
  2. 382Janene#684#1,066
  3. 375Treena#989#1,364
  4. 356Tisa#910#1,266
  5. 351Shaun#929#1,280

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,768,447 boys got a published name in 1971; 1 in 135 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 99.5% of the 5,655 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Stephen
  1. #24Paul17,469
  2. #25Kenneth14,763
  3. #26Gregory14,760
  4. #27Stephen13,102
  5. #28Shawn12,825
  6. #29Chad12,137
  7. #30Todd12,055
Biggest movers since 1970
Risers
  1. 754Germaine#1,582#828
  2. 626Jeramie#1,546#920
  3. 512Jeremey#1,396#884
  4. 473Jarod#1,337#864
  5. 454Jamel#1,374#920
Fallers
  1. 328Adolph#926#1,254
  2. 272Dwane#1,000#1,272
  3. 266Bronson#861#1,127
  4. 244Mitch#921#1,165
  5. 242Enrico#839#1,081

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1971