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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201988peak #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 1988

girls
#1,839
67 births · 1 in 26,580 girls
boys
#40
11,607 births · 1 in 165 boys

Top girls' names in 1988

  1. #1Jessica51,556
  2. #2Ashley49,977
  3. #3Amanda39,459
  4. #4Sarah28,374
  5. #5Jennifer27,893
  6. #6Brittany26,816
  7. #7Stephanie22,843
  8. #8Samantha20,700
  9. #9Nicole20,315
  10. #10Elizabeth20,042
  11. #1,839Stephen67

Top boys' names in 1988

  1. #1Michael64,171
  2. #2Christopher53,014
  3. #3Matthew45,876
  4. #4Joshua42,653
  5. #5Andrew35,745
  6. #6David35,329
  7. #7Justin35,055
  8. #8Daniel34,718
  9. #9James32,523
  10. #10Robert30,319
  11. #40Stephen11,607
More about 1988

girls

1,780,854 girls got a published name in 1988; 1 in 26,580 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 86.8% of the 13,883 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Stephen
  1. #1,822Spencer68
  2. #1,822Steffany68
  3. #1,822Unknown68
  4. #1,839Stephen67
  5. #1,839Ainsley67
  6. #1,839Annalise67
  7. #1,839Carlyn67
  8. #1,863Alexi66
  9. #1,863Amara66
  10. #1,863Apryl66

Tied with 23 names at #1,839; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1987
Risers
  1. 2,890Jalissa#3,857#967
  2. 2,381Taja#3,101#720
  3. 1,710Whitley#2,156#446
  4. 1,225Jalisa#1,662#437
  5. 883Jaleesa#1,227#344
Fallers
  1. 620Channing#590#1,210
  2. 346Denisse#954#1,300
  3. 319Jeana#966#1,285
  4. 314Eliana#826#1,140
  5. 311Nakia#893#1,204

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

boys

1,914,283 boys got a published name in 1988; 1 in 165 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 99.5% of the 8,495 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Stephen
  1. #37Charles12,109
  2. #38Sean11,794
  3. #39Mark11,715
  4. #40Stephen11,607
  5. #41Travis11,423
  6. #42Patrick11,400
  7. #43Cody10,583
Biggest movers since 1987
Risers
  1. 3,252Nico#4,239#987
  2. 1,245Ridge#2,215#970
  3. 668Colten#1,484#816
  4. 600Brantley#1,587#987
  5. 518Long#1,337#819
Fallers
  1. 362Cordaro#908#1,270
  2. 246Ramsey#884#1,130
  3. 241Yaakov#974#1,215
  4. 233Adrain#990#1,223
  5. 230Kiel#846#1,076

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

See the top 100 for 1988