Stephanie
Girl name · #557 in 2025 · Rare
Stephanie is currently the #557 girl name in the United States — 543 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #209, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 3,315 girls born in 2025 was named Stephanie.
Babies named Stephanie per year. Source: SSA.
The 134-year story
Stephanie first appears in the Social Security records in 1891, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1990, when 24,864 girls were named Stephanie — good for #7 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Stephanie against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Stephanie in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Stephanie is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Stephanie will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Stephanie is most common
Geography matters for names, and Stephanie is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Stephanie is most common in AZ (0.6 per 1,000), MD (0.6 per 1,000), FL (0.6 per 1,000), CA (0.6 per 1,000), WA (0.6 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.4 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Stephanie is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Stephanie
Stephanie carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
StephanieSteph
Names like Stephanie
Statistically, parents drawn to Stephanie tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Danielle, Cassandra, Katie, Christina, and Nicole.
DanielleCassandraKatieChristinaNicoleKatherineVeronicaMeredith
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Stephanie | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 543 | #557 |
| 2024 | 571 | #534 |
| 2023 | 659 | #467 |
| 2022 | 659 | #480 |
| 2021 | 692 | #452 |
| 2020 | 703 | #437 |
| 2019 | 896 | #352 |
| 2018 | 1,031 | #318 |
| 2017 | 1,136 | #287 |
| 2016 | 1,370 | #236 |
| 2015 | 1,558 | #209 |
| 2014 | 1,644 | #205 |
| 2013 | 1,677 | #194 |
| 2012 | 1,888 | #168 |
| 2011 | 2,151 | #146 |
| 2010 | 2,492 | #126 |
| 2009 | 2,922 | #112 |
| 2008 | 3,320 | #105 |
| 2007 | 3,811 | #88 |
| 2006 | 4,511 | #70 |
| 2005 | 4,701 | #64 |
| 2004 | 5,181 | #55 |
| 2003 | 5,603 | #49 |
| 2002 | 6,270 | #41 |
| 2001 | 6,613 | #43 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Stephanie a popular girl name?
Stephanie ranked #557 among girls in 2025 with 543 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #209.
When was the name Stephanie most popular?
Stephanie peaked in 1990, when 24,864 American girls received the name (ranked #7 that year). Since 1990 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Stephanie?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 3,315 newborn American girls was named Stephanie. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.