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Stephen

Boy's name · #383 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Stephen — on the books since 1880, #383 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 865,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Stephen is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 40 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Stephen ranks in other countries and regions.

#242 in Ireland (2025) · #266 in N. Ireland (2025) · #437 in Scotland (2025) · #726 in England & Wales (2025) · #3,010 in France (2025) · #619 in Canada (2024).

Famous Stephens

• Stephen Hawking — British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018)
• Stephen King — American novelist and writer (born 1947)
• Stephen Harper — 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015
• Stephen Hillenburg — American marine science educator and artist (1961–2018)
• Stephen I — Pope and Bishop of Rome from 254 to 257

In stories & tradition

• Stephen (Doctor Strange) — Strange Tales (comics)
• Stephen Strange — Doctor Strange (film)
• Stephen Dedalus — A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (book)

What Stephens become

Among 7,102 notable people named Stephen:

Scientists & scholars appear 1.47× more often than among typical names — e.g. Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Steven (#271), Stephen would rank around #173 with about 2,100 births last year — the newborns split about 60/40 between Steven and Stephen.

About 1,300 girls a year are given Stevie as their full name and 120 boys Steve.

Similar names: Phillip · Steven · Johnny · Jimmy · Tommy · Timothy

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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