boys' name ★ peaked 1991

Stefan

Meaning to crown Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,023 Trend → Stable

From Ancient Greek στεφανίζω (stephanízō, “to crown”) & Ancient Greek στέφανος (stéphanos, “that which surrounds, crown, wreath”).

Rank 2025
#1,023
among boys · ↓27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
219
named Stefan · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,799
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1991
725 babies
All-time total
21,237
#814 all-time among boys
First recorded
1910
in Social Security records

Stefan popularity over time

21,237 babies have been named Stefan since 1910, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 115 115 12 – #1,406
1920s – 103 103 10 -10% #1,813
1930s – 78 78 8 -24% #1,786
1940s – 262 262 26 +236% #957
1950s – 651 651 65 +148% #793
1960s – 1,642 1,642 164 +152% #533
1970s 5 2,387 2,392 239 +46% #455
1980s 31 4,016 4,047 405 +69% #346
1990s 6 5,399 5,405 541 +34% #339
2000s – 2,520 2,520 252 -53% #571
2010s – 2,590 2,590 259 +3% #751
2020s (to 2025) – 1,432 1,432 239 -8% #881

Where Stefan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 216 0.13 outside top 500
2027 214 0.13 outside top 500
2028 212 0.12 outside top 500
2029 210 0.12 outside top 500
2030 209 0.12 outside top 500

Where Stefan is most popular

Boys named Stefan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.136 per 1,000. Strongest in Illinois, Washington, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Stefan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Illinois 85 0.333 +144%
Washington 52 0.318 +134%
Florida 115 0.243 +79%
New Jersey 47 0.233 +72%
New York 91 0.210 +54%
Massachusetts 28 0.204 +50%
Ohio 49 0.185 +36%
Michigan 37 0.181 +33%
California 128 0.140 ≈ national
Indiana 22 0.137 ≈ national
Georgia 31 0.122 -10%
Arizona 18 0.110 -19%
Wisconsin 13 0.110 -19%
Texas 95 0.108 -21%
Pennsylvania 28 0.105 -22%
North Carolina 26 0.102 -25%
Virginia 17 0.090 -34%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -35%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -42%
South Carolina 7 0.068 -50%
Tennessee 12 0.066 -51%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -64%
Colorado 5 0.039 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Stefan

Stefan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,023 in 2025 with 219 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1910, 21,237 American babies have been named Stefan. Its peak came in 1991, when 725 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Stefan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Stefan?

The median living Stefan is about 33 years old; half are between 20 and 42. An estimated 20 thousand people named Stefan are alive in the United States today.

median 33 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Stefan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 219 #1,023
2024 – – 226 #996
2023 – – 234 #962
2022 – – 239 #951
2021 – – 257 #895
2020 – – 257 #881
2019 – – 258 #861
2018 – – 249 #881
2017 – – 314 #751
2016 – – 264 #854
2015 – – 293 #800
2014 – – 260 #855
2013 – – 256 #837
2012 – – 218 #935
2011 – – 238 #880
2010 – – 240 #876
2009 – – 202 #984
2008 – – 194 #1,007
2007 – – 212 #938
2006 – – 223 #887
2005 – – 241 #800
2004 – – 227 #797
2003 – – 274 #697
2002 – – 283 #662
2001 – – 304 #625
2000 – – 360 #571
1995 – – 530 #429
1990 – – 638 #366
1985 13 #5,625 423 #414
1980 – – 235 #562
1975 – – 220 #543
1970 – – 323 #455
1965 – – 155 #616
1960 – – 134 #679
1955 – – 57 #1,001
1950 – – 53 #956
1945 – – 21 #1,488
1940 – – 7 #3,100
1935 – – 9 #2,689
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 8 #3,368
1920 – – 20 #1,813
1915 – – 12 #2,291
1910 – – 7 #1,406
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Stefan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig Austrian writer (1881–1942) 19th century
  2. 2 Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Swedish tennis player (born 1966) Contemporary
  3. 3 Stefan Dušan Stefan Dušan 14th-century Serbian king and emperor 1308–1355 · Medieval
  4. 4 Stefan Effenberg German footballer b. 1968 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević 14/15th-century Serbian despot and saint 1374–1427 · Medieval
  6. 6 Stefan Banach Stefan Banach Polish mathematician (1892–1945) 19th century
  7. 7 Stefan Löfven Stefan Löfven Prime Minister of Sweden from 2014 to 2021 b. 1957 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Stefan Nemanja Stefan Nemanja Grand Prince of Serbia from 1166 to 1196 1113–1199 · Medieval
  9. 9 Stefan Bellof Stefan Bellof German racing driver (1957–1985) Contemporary
  10. 10 Stefan Persson Stefan Persson Richest person in Sweden b. 1947 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Stefan Johansson Stefan Johansson Swedish racing driver (born 1956) Contemporary
  12. 12 Stefan Milutin Stefan Milutin King of Serbia from 1282 to 1321 1253–1321 · Medieval
  13. 13 Stefan George Stefan George German symbolist poet and translator 1868–1933 · 19th century
  14. 14 Stefan Uroš V Stefan Uroš V King (r. 1346–55) and 2nd Tsar (r. 1355–71) of the Serbian Empire 1336–1371 · Medieval
  15. 15 Stefan Wyszyński Stefan Wyszyński Polish Roman Catholic cardinal (1901–1981) Contemporary
  16. 16 Stefan Czarniecki Stefan Czarniecki Polish nobleman and general (1599–1665) 16th century
  17. 17 Stefan Dečanski Stefan Dečanski King of Serbia from 1322 to 1331 1276–1331 · Medieval
  18. 18 Stefan the First-Crowned Stefan the First-Crowned King of Serbia from 1217 to 1228 1166–1228 · Medieval
  19. 19 Stefan Uroš I Stefan Uroš I King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276 1220–1277 · Medieval
  20. 20 Stefan Dragutin Stefan Dragutin King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282 1253–1316 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Stefan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Stefan?

The median living Stefan is about 33 years old. Half of all living Stefans are between 20 and 42 years old.

How many people named Stefan are alive today?

An estimated 20 thousand people named Stefan are alive in the United States, based on 21,237 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Stefan mean?

From Ancient Greek στεφανίζω (stephanízō, “to crown”) & Ancient Greek στέφανος (stéphanos, “that which surrounds, crown, wreath”).

How popular is the name Stefan in 2025?

Stefan ranked #1,023 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 219 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Stefan?

21,237 babies have been named Stefan in the United States since 1910, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Stefan most popular?

Stefan peaked in 1991, when 725 newborns received the name.

Is Stefan a boy or girl name?

Stefan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Stefan rising or falling?

Stefan has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Stefan become more popular?

Stefan looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 209 boys named Stefan in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Stefan?

Well-known people named Stefan include Stefan Zweig (writer), Stefan Edberg (tennis player), Stefan Dušan (politician).

Names like Stefan

Names that sound and feel close to Stefan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Stefan with similar names → More names starting with S →