Steven
- Pronunciation
- [Ste-ven]
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- Variant Of Stephen Crown: Wreath.
- Origin
- English
About the Name Steven
Steven is the modern English alternate spelling of Stephen, descending from the Greek Stephanos meaning "crown" or "wreath" — referring to the laurel or ivy wreath worn as a symbol of victory in classical Greek athletic and political ceremonies. The name's overwhelming Christian anchor is Saint Stephen — the first Christian martyr, traditionally identified as one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles, who was stoned to death after a confrontation with Jewish religious authorities (Acts 6–7). Stephen's death was witnessed by Saul of Tarsus before his conversion to Paul.
The name has been continuously used across Christian-influenced naming traditions for over two millennia. The Steven spelling specifically emerged in 20th-century American naming as an alternate to the more traditional Stephen. Notable Steven bearers include American filmmaker Steven Spielberg (born 1946, three-time Oscar winner and the most commercially successful film director in history, with films including Jaws, E.T., Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan); American actor Steven Tyler (Aerosmith frontman); and contemporary actor Steven Yeun.
Steven held a US top-25 boys' rank from 1953 through 1980 — nearly three decades of top-tier American popularity. The name has receded since 1990 but remains in steady use. The combined Steven-Stephen family represents one of the most consistently popular American boys' name groups of the 20th century. The name's appeal is its dignified Christian classicism combined with two firm syllables. The Steven spelling reads as slightly more modern and approachable than the more traditional Stephen. Common nicknames Steve (the dominant short form, casual and adult), Stevie (warmer and youthful), and the rare Step each carry distinct registers; international forms include Esteban (Spanish), Stefano (Italian), Stéphane (French), Stefan (German/Slavic), and the original Greek Stephanos.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Steven
US Popularity History (1941–2025)
Annual US births named Steven by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 1956 with 38,410 boys named Steven (boy rank #10 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2025, ranked #271 for boys (1,261 US births). That's 261 places below its 1956 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
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Where in the US Is Steven Most Popular?
Average boy-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Steven the strongest states are New Jersey, Alaska, Maryland.
Strongest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | #153 | 608 |
| 2 | Alaska | #156 | 32 |
| 3 | Maryland | #160 | 396 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | #164 | 739 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | #169 | 29 |
| 6 | New York | #169 | 1,193 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | #181 | 346 |
| 8 | Delaware | #195 | 38 |
| 9 | California | #197 | 2,229 |
| 10 | Virginia | #198 | 459 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Steven in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
| Name | Meaning | Gender | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson | Variant Of Stephen Crown: Wreath. | Male | English |
Famous People Named Steven
3 notable figures from history and culture who share the name Steven.
- Steven Curtis Chapman — Rock Singer (1962)
- Steven King is the U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 4th congressional district since 2003.
- Steven Tyler — Rock Singer (1948)
Looking for names like Steven?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Steven to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Steven against today's most popular boys-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).
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