Stephen

“Crown; wreath” — Greek origin

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

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. Stephen's short forms are Steve, Stevie, and Steph. 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.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,200 boys in N. Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,200 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 2,500 boys in Scotland (2025).

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

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 · Doctor Strange
Stephen Strange — Doctor Strange · Thor: Ragnarok
Stephen Dedalus — A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man · Ulysses

What Stephens become

Among 7,103 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).

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

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

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service