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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #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.

Where Stephen is popular in 1972

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #33 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 128 boysAKMaine: #24 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 87 boysMEVermont: #27 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 85 boysVTNew Hampshire: #22 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 72 boysNHWashington: #55 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 234 boysWAIdaho: #54 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 224 boysIDMontana: #56 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 222 boysMTNorth Dakota: #105 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 514 boysNDMinnesota: #55 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 233 boysMNIllinois: #37 for boys · 437 births · 1 in 189 boysILWisconsin: #59 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 271 boysWIMichigan: #35 for boys · 418 births · 1 in 165 boysMINew York: #30 for boys · 951 births · 1 in 128 boysNYMassachusetts: #22 for boys · 528 births · 1 in 71 boysMARhode Island: #22 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 72 boysRIOregon: #43 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 161 boysORNevada: #33 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 131 boysNVWyoming: #39 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 145 boysWYSouth Dakota: #72 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 278 boysSDIowa: #58 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 249 boysIAIndiana: #36 for boys · 283 births · 1 in 147 boysINOhio: #34 for boys · 562 births · 1 in 145 boysOHPennsylvania: #24 for boys · 825 births · 1 in 96 boysPANew Jersey: #27 for boys · 418 births · 1 in 110 boysNJConnecticut: #26 for boys · 172 births · 1 in 104 boysCTCalifornia: #39 for boys · 771 births · 1 in 195 boysCAUtah: #36 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 141 boysUTColorado: #34 for boys · 127 births · 1 in 143 boysCONebraska: #54 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 230 boysNEMissouri: #28 for boys · 294 births · 1 in 120 boysMOKentucky: #25 for boys · 249 births · 1 in 107 boysKYWest Virginia: #29 for boys · 135 births · 1 in 102 boysWVVirginia: #26 for boys · 300 births · 1 in 111 boysVAMaryland: #32 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 120 boysMDDelaware: #23 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 78 boysDEArizona: #34 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 166 boysAZNew Mexico: #42 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 180 boysNMKansas: #47 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 179 boysKSArkansas: #38 for boys · 103 births · 1 in 145 boysARTennessee: #27 for boys · 256 births · 1 in 125 boysTNNorth Carolina: #26 for boys · 328 births · 1 in 127 boysNCSouth Carolina: #27 for boys · 145 births · 1 in 150 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #23 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 102 boysDCOklahoma: #27 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 125 boysOKLouisiana: #35 for boys · 181 births · 1 in 173 boysLAMississippi: #26 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 132 boysMSAlabama: #25 for boys · 224 births · 1 in 123 boysALGeorgia: #25 for boys · 327 births · 1 in 124 boysGAHawaii: #42 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 178 boysHITexas: #27 for boys · 699 births · 1 in 152 boysTXFlorida: #28 for boys · 373 births · 1 in 135 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#22 · 1 in 71
  2. Rhode Island#22 · 1 in 72
  3. New Hampshire#22 · 1 in 72
  4. Delaware#23 · 1 in 78
  5. District of Columbia#23 · 1 in 102

Best ever in a state: #7 in Maine, 1951.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#225281 in 71
New Hampshire#22711 in 72
Rhode Island#22841 in 72
Delaware#23471 in 78
District of Columbia#23921 in 102
Maine#24841 in 87
Pennsylvania#248251 in 96
Alabama#252241 in 123
Georgia#253271 in 124
Kentucky#252491 in 107
Connecticut#261721 in 104
Mississippi#261511 in 132
North Carolina#263281 in 127
Virginia#263001 in 111
New Jersey#274181 in 110
Oklahoma#271511 in 125
South Carolina#271451 in 150
Tennessee#272561 in 125
Texas#276991 in 152
Vermont#27351 in 85
Florida#283731 in 135
Missouri#282941 in 120
West Virginia#291351 in 102
New York#309511 in 128
Maryland#321971 in 120
Alaska#33211 in 128
Nevada#33261 in 131
Arizona#341021 in 166
Colorado#341271 in 143
Ohio#345621 in 145
Louisiana#351811 in 173
Michigan#354181 in 165
Indiana#362831 in 147
Utah#36861 in 141
Illinois#374371 in 189
Arkansas#381031 in 145
California#397711 in 195
Wyoming#39151 in 145
Hawaii#42341 in 178
New Mexico#42491 in 180
Oregon#43901 in 161
Kansas#47801 in 179
Idaho#54261 in 224
Nebraska#54471 in 230
Minnesota#551151 in 233
Washington#55931 in 234
Montana#56211 in 222
Iowa#58771 in 249
Wisconsin#591121 in 271
South Dakota#72161 in 278
North Dakota#10591 in 514

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1972

girls
#1,749
50 births · 1 in 30,425 girls
boys
#29
11,037 births · 1 in 147 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #1,749Stephen50

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #29Stephen11,037
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 30,425 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 81.9% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Stephen
  1. #1,724Shanell51
  2. #1,724Stephannie51
  3. #1,724Tari51
  4. #1,749Stephen50
  5. #1,749Brandon50
  6. #1,749Corine50
  7. #1,749Elida50
  8. #1,771Ariana49
  9. #1,771Bernadine49
  10. #1,771Chad49

Tied with 21 names at #1,749; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 5,804Camisha#6,619 → #815
  2. ↑ 3,921Catina#4,123 → #202
  3. ↑ 1,842Cherilyn#2,665 → #823
  4. ↑ 1,789Chasity#2,542 → #753
  5. ↑ 1,694Keena#2,542 → #848
Fallers
  1. ↓ 517Shayla#836 → #1,353
  2. ↓ 428Raina#798 → #1,226
  3. ↓ 280Kendall#742 → #1,022
  4. ↓ 275Alycia#951 → #1,226
  5. ↓ 255Charisse#727 → #982

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

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 147 of them was named Stephen, which outranked 99.5% of the 5,751 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. #26Gregory13,056
  2. #27Kenneth12,334
  3. #28Shawn11,277
  4. #29Stephen11,037
  5. #30Andrew10,111
  6. #31Todd9,968
  7. #32Ronald9,502
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,755Demond#3,146 → #391
  2. ↑ 1,286Cade#2,279 → #993
  3. ↑ 905Vidal#1,526 → #621
  4. ↑ 855Damond#1,784 → #929
  5. ↑ 849Kareem#1,254 → #405
Fallers
  1. ↓ 413Rich#914 → #1,327
  2. ↓ 401Monroe#947 → #1,348
  3. ↓ 317Laura#990 → #1,307
  4. ↓ 309Von#976 → #1,285
  5. ↓ 309Westley#998 → #1,307

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

See the top 100 for 1972 →