Esteban
Esteban was the 461st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 673 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 320th with 1,024 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 62 places. More babies were named Esteban in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning crown, wreath (Spanish form of Stephen) · Greek, Spanish
Say it es-TAY-bahn /ɛsˈteɪbɑn/
- Rank in 2025
- #461 boys, up 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 673boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20051,024 babies
- Total since 1880
- 35,623babies recorded
What does the name Esteban mean?
Esteban is the Spanish form of Stephen, from Greek stephanos, "crown, wreath", and so "reward, honor". DMNES and Harrison (1918) give the same meaning, and Wiktionary traces it through Latin Stephanus. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr in the Book of Acts, made the name widespread. In the US it is used mainly in Latino families.
στέφανος (Ancient Greek, “crown, wreath”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Stephen, Steven, Estevan, Stefan.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Esteban', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Stephen', DMNES, Durham University
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'STEPHEN', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Esteban popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 31 since 1991.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #461 | 673 |
| 2020 | #471 | 633 |
| 2010 | #378 | 762 |
| 2000 | #334 | 822 |
| 1990 | #413 | 557 |
| 1980 | #454 | 341 |
| 1970 | #656 | 156 |
| 1960 | #846 | 80 |
| 1950 | #881 | 61 |
| 1940 | #1,343 | 25 |
| 1930 | #1,095 | 40 |
| 1920 | #1,394 | 28 |
| 1910 | #1,671 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Esteban, counting every spelling?
Esteban has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #462 for boys in 2025, against #461 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Esteban?
673 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Esteban (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Esteban born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Esteban.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Esteban?
About 33,200 people born in the US named Esteban are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 12 and 34. That makes Esteban mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Esteban by state
How common Esteban was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.0×), Arizona (2.9×), Texas (2.5×), California (2.4×), Nevada (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Missouri, Minnesota, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Esteban: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Esteban, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Esteban · Sibling names for Esteban
Questions about the name Esteban
What does Esteban mean?
Esteban means “crown, wreath (Spanish form of Stephen)” (Greek, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Esteban?
Esteban was the 461st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 673 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 320th with 1,024 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 62 places. More babies were named Esteban in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Esteban a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Esteban in the US.
Where is Esteban most popular?
In 2021–2025, Esteban was most common in New Mexico (1.21 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arizona and Texas.