Stephen
The story
Stephen comes from the Greek stephanos, the crown, though the crown in question was a victor's wreath of laurel rather than a king's gold. It was borne by the first Christian martyr, the deacon Stephen whose story opens the Acts of the Apostles, and by kings of England and Hungary after him. In America it climbed steadily through the first half of the twentieth century to a peak in the 1950s, then did something unusual: instead of crashing like its mid-century classmates, it settled onto a long, patient plateau, easing only gradually across the decades since. The spelling battle is part of its story, with Steven coming to outnumber the older Stephen in American nurseries, though bearers from Stephen King to Stephen Curry keep the classic form in constant view. A quietly durable crown, still holding its shape.
Stephen around the world
One shared root links 11 names across 5 languages.
Shared root: from Greek stephanos "crown, garland"
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Stephen peaked in the 1950s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
303 people · the #18,930 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 35
Among people named Stephen living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Stephen
People given the name Stephen in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Stephen deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Stephen truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Stephen fits with your family’s names and surname.
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