Steven
Boy name · #271 in 2025 · Distinctive
Steven ranks #271 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 1,261 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #153, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,427 boys born in 2025 was named Steven.
The 145-year story
Steven first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 17 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1956, when 38,413 boys were named Steven — good for #10 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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.
Babies named Steven per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Steven against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Steven in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Steven is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Steven is most common
Geography matters for names, and Steven is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Steven is most common in NJ (1.5 per 1,000), PA (1.4 per 1,000), MD (1.3 per 1,000), VA (1.2 per 1,000), IN (1.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.9 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Steven is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Steven
Steven belongs to the Stephen family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Stephen family went to about 2,244 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #162, versus #271 for Steven alone.
Names like Steven
Statistically, parents drawn to Steven tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Stephen, Allen, Kevin, Martin, and Kenneth.
StephenAllenKevinMartinKennethPaulTimothyPeter
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Steven | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,261 | #271 |
| 2024 | 1,291 | #268 |
| 2023 | 1,396 | #251 |
| 2022 | 1,351 | #256 |
| 2021 | 1,514 | #235 |
| 2020 | 1,681 | #222 |
| 2019 | 1,981 | #199 |
| 2018 | 2,045 | #198 |
| 2017 | 2,168 | #182 |
| 2016 | 2,401 | #167 |
| 2015 | 2,715 | #153 |
| 2014 | 2,809 | #144 |
| 2013 | 2,889 | #134 |
| 2012 | 3,241 | #112 |
| 2011 | 3,212 | #124 |
| 2010 | 3,436 | #116 |
| 2009 | 3,833 | #106 |
| 2008 | 4,228 | #104 |
| 2007 | 4,556 | #97 |
| 2006 | 4,824 | #90 |
| 2005 | 5,079 | #83 |
| 2004 | 5,357 | #78 |
| 2003 | 5,860 | #70 |
| 2002 | 6,222 | #68 |
| 2001 | 6,589 | #63 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Steven a popular boy name?
Steven ranked #271 among boys in 2025 with 1,261 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #153.
When was the name Steven most popular?
Steven peaked in 1956, when 38,413 American boys received the name (ranked #10 that year). Since 1956 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Steven?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,427 newborn American boys was named Steven. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
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.