Steve

Did you know?

A few things about Steve you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Steve

Steve Biko

South African anti-apartheid activist (1946–1977)

Choose Steve and your child shares a first name with Steve Biko, a South African anti-apartheid activist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Steve, like who?” Steve Biko's Wikipedia article is available in 83 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Steve Biko on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Cape Argus, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 16,260 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Steve, 105 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Steve would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySteve has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Steves, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1959, when it ranked #41. Today it's #1,609, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowSteve was 5.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 3,027 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 16,260.
• 🍂TrendSteve has slipped 359 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,609. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedSteve is most popular in Georgia, where it ranks #990. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningSteve is an English form of Stephen, which means “crown”. Our records link it to English, Greek and Latin roots.

About the name Steve

Steve is a boy name of English, Greek and Latin origin meaning “crown”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with S and ending in “-eve”. US birth records list Steve for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked #41 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,609, with 105 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek namesLatin names