Steve
Steve was the 1617th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 105 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 41st with 11,068 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 677 places. More babies were named Steve in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Stephen, 'crown' · English, Greek
Say it STEEV /stiv/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,617 boys, down 364 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 105boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195911,068 babies
- Total since 1880
- 242,131babies recorded
What does the name Steve mean?
Steve is a short form of Steven and Stephen, as Wiktionary notes, from Latin Stephanus and Greek Stephanos, from stephanos 'crown, wreath', the garland given to victors. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 6-7), made the name common. Steve has been a formal given name in its own right since the late 19th century.
στέφανος (stephanos) (Ancient Greek, “crown, wreath”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Stephen, Steven, Stevie, Stefan, Esteban.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Steve', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Stephen', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Steve
The usual nicknames for Steve are Stevie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Steve in the last five years, 32 were named Stevie, against 9 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevie · also for Steven, Stephanie | Traditional | #2,674 | 185 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Steves go by each one.
Steve popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 907 since 1912.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,617 | 105 |
| 2020 | #1,253 | 148 |
| 2010 | #786 | 279 |
| 2000 | #394 | 649 |
| 1990 | #267 | 1,007 |
| 1980 | #201 | 1,218 |
| 1970 | #114 | 2,930 |
| 1960 | #43 | 10,645 |
| 1950 | #83 | 4,207 |
| 1940 | #121 | 1,555 |
| 1930 | #169 | 862 |
| 1920 | #127 | 1,281 |
| 1910 | #136 | 245 |
| 1900 | #150 | 139 |
| 1890 | #202 | 66 |
| 1880 | #232 | 52 |
How popular is Steve, counting every spelling?
Steve is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,510 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,617 for Steve on its own. Together these spellings went to 105 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve | 105 | #1,617 | 575 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Steve?
105 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Steve (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Steve 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 80 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Steve.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Steve?
About 153,600 people born in the US named Steve are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 56 and 70. That makes Steve a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Steve by state
How common Steve was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.7×), Florida (1.6×), Illinois (1.5×). In 38 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Steve: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Steve, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Steve · Sibling names for Steve
Steve is also a nickname for Steven.
Questions about the name Steve
What does Steve mean?
Steve means “short form of Stephen, 'crown'” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Steve?
Steve was the 1617th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 105 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 41st with 11,068 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 677 places. More babies were named Steve in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Steve a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Steve in the US.
Where is Steve most popular?
In 2021–2025, Steve was most common in California (0.11 per 1,000 boys), followed by Florida and Illinois.