boys' name ★ peaked 1989

Stephan

Meaning to crown Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,850 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

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

Rank 2025
#1,850
among boys · ↓131 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
86
named Stephan · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 19,861
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1989
579 babies
All-time total
27,910
#705 all-time among boys
First recorded
1895
in Social Security records

Stephan popularity over time

27,910 babies have been named Stephan since 1895, 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 – 19 19 2 – #848
1900s – 21 21 2 +11% #1,289
1910s – 285 285 29 +1257% #922
1920s – 216 216 22 -24% #1,294
1930s – 285 285 29 +32% #804
1940s – 1,931 1,931 193 +578% #349
1950s 5 4,498 4,503 450 +133% #314
1960s 60 4,275 4,335 434 -4% #339
1970s 76 3,179 3,255 326 -25% #395
1980s 64 4,324 4,388 439 +35% #347
1990s 24 4,343 4,367 437 0% #406
2000s – 2,040 2,040 204 -53% #721
2010s – 1,566 1,566 157 -23% #1,114
2020s (to 2025) – 699 699 117 -26% #1,231

Where Stephan 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 81 0.05 outside top 500
2027 77 0.04 outside top 500
2028 74 0.04 outside top 500
2029 71 0.04 outside top 500
2030 69 0.04 outside top 500

Where Stephan is most popular

Boys named Stephan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.063 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, Ohio, and Massachusetts.

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 Stephan 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
Florida 70 0.148 +134%
Ohio 24 0.091 +43%
Massachusetts 12 0.087 +38%
New York 32 0.074 +17%
California 66 0.072 +14%
New Jersey 13 0.065 ≈ national
Texas 41 0.047 -26%
Illinois 11 0.043 -32%
Indiana 6 0.037 -41%
Washington 5 0.031 -52%
Virginia 5 0.026 -58%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -64%
Georgia 5 0.020 -69%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Stephan

Stephan is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,850 in 2025 with 86 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1895, 27,910 American babies have been named Stephan. Its peak came in 1989, when 579 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Stephan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Stephan?

The median living Stephan is about 43 years old; half are between 30 and 61. An estimated 24 thousand people named Stephan are alive in the United States today.

median 43 020406080100

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

Stephan 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 – – 86 #1,850
2024 – – 97 #1,719
2023 – – 115 #1,536
2022 – – 116 #1,550
2021 – – 132 #1,394
2020 – – 153 #1,231
2019 – – 149 #1,264
2018 – – 143 #1,290
2017 – – 142 #1,284
2016 – – 175 #1,119
2015 – – 166 #1,140
2014 – – 160 #1,172
2013 – – 161 #1,134
2012 – – 142 #1,247
2011 – – 166 #1,114
2010 – – 162 #1,148
2009 – – 164 #1,130
2008 – – 162 #1,132
2007 – – 192 #1,011
2006 – – 193 #969
2005 – – 200 #901
2004 – – 205 #861
2003 – – 216 #808
2002 – – 228 #758
2001 – – 238 #733
2000 – – 242 #721
1995 8 #10,403 467 #470
1990 5 #14,971 570 #406
1985 9 #7,483 459 #393
1980 – – 303 #485
1975 5 #10,373 282 #477
1970 11 #5,019 411 #395
1965 6 #6,436 405 #388
1960 – – 418 #387
1955 – – 493 #333
1950 – – 412 #332
1945 – – 154 #487
1940 – – 67 #756
1935 – – 26 #1,349
1930 – – 18 #1,811
1925 – – 25 #1,531
1920 – – 26 #1,498
1915 – – 39 #1,035
1910 – – 13 #922
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – 5 #1,221
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Stephan

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

  1. 1 Stephan James Stephan James Canadian actor b. 1993 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner Stephan Lichtsteiner Swiss footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Stephan Beckenbauer German footballer (1968–2015) Contemporary
  4. 4 Stephan Andersen Stephan Andersen Danish footballer (born 1981) Contemporary
  5. 5 Stephan Eberharter Stephan Eberharter Austrian alpine skier b. 1969 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Stephan Weil Stephan Weil German politician (born 1958) Contemporary
  7. 7 Stephan Burián von Rajecz Stephan Burián von Rajecz Austro-Hungarian politician (1851–1922) 19th century
  8. 8 Stephan Endlicher Stephan Endlicher Austrian botanist and linguist 1804–1849 · 19th century
  9. 9 Stephan Engels Stephan Engels German footballer and manager b. 1960 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Stephan Lehmann Stephan Lehmann Swiss footballer and manager (born 1963) Contemporary
  11. 11 Stephan Fürstner Stephan Fürstner German footballer b. 1987 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Stephan Hocke Stephan Hocke German ski jumper b. 1983 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Stephan?

The median living Stephan is about 43 years old. Half of all living Stephans are between 30 and 61 years old.

How many people named Stephan are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Stephan are alive in the United States, based on 27,910 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Stephan mean?

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

How popular is the name Stephan in 2025?

Stephan ranked #1,850 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 86 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Stephan?

27,910 babies have been named Stephan in the United States since 1895, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Stephan most popular?

Stephan peaked in 1989, when 579 newborns received the name.

Is Stephan a boy or girl name?

Stephan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Stephan rising or falling?

Stephan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Stephan become more popular?

Stephan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 69 boys named Stephan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Stephan?

Well-known people named Stephan include Stephan James (actor), Stephan Lichtsteiner (soccer player), Stephan Beckenbauer (soccer player).

Names like Stephan

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

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