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Steve

steev /stiːv/

At a glance

In short
Steve is the brisk, no-nonsense short form of Stephen, the Greek Stéphanos meaning “crown” or “garland,” a title once bestowed on victors in ancient games and early Christian martyrs alike.
U.S. rank 2025
#1,609 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
Babies in 2025
105 (<0.01% of boys)
Trend
Slipping #1,250 in 2020 #1,609 in 2025
Peak
#41 in 1959
First recorded
1880

Meaning of Steve

Steve is the brisk, no-nonsense short form of Stephen, the Greek Stéphanos meaning “crown” or “garland,” a title once bestowed on victors in ancient games and early Christian martyrs alike. In the United States the nickname began edging onto birth certificates around the turn of the 20th century, but its real coronation came after World War II: by 1960 it had broken into the national Top 50, helped along by silver-screen rebel Steve McQueen and a wave of easygoing post-war informality. Since then the name has slipped down the charts—hovering near rank 800 today—yet it retains a quietly industrious image, thanks to figures such as tech pioneer Steve Jobs, comedian Steve Martin, and athlete Steve Young. Pronounced steev (/stiːv/), the single-syllable profile gives it a clean snap, and the built-in familiarity spares a child from classroom spelling tutorials. While Steve no longer wears the laurel of trendiness, it has settled into that comfortable American category of “everyone knows one,” granting it a certain understated longevity that flashier newcomers can only envy.

How to pronounce Steve

English

Popularity of Steve in the U.S.

Steve was the #1,609 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 105 babies. It peaked at #41 in 1959.

Bar and line chart: Steve in the U.S., 1880–2025. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 11,068 in 1959 and 105 in 2025. Line: rank among boy names, peak #41 in 1959, #1,609 in 2025.
  • Boys named Steve (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1880⁠–⁠2025 146 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
20251051,609▲ 76
2024991,685▼ 146
20231141,539▼ 60
20221221,479▼ 114
20211351,365▼ 115
20201481,250▼ 48
20191591,202▼ 51
20181671,151▼ 95
20171891,056▼ 63
2016205993▼ 54
2015224939▼ 76
2014256863▲ 9
2013242872▼ 118
2012303754▼ 47
2011324707▲ 78
2010279785▼ 174
2009415611▼ 16
2008422595▼ 22
2007448573▼ 38
2006472535▼ 17
2005475518▼ 13
2004484505▼ 62
2003563443▲ 8
2002545451▼ 50
2001624401▼ 8
2000649393▼ 3
1999660390–
1998635390▼ 4
1997627386▼ 17
1996648369▼ 35
1995754334▲ 11
1994714345▼ 26
1993831319▼ 16
1992882303▼ 13
1991896290▼ 23
19901,007267▼ 12
1989997255▼ 7
1988949248▼ 15
19871,004233▲ 2
1986989235▼ 1
1985990234▼ 16
19841,042218▼ 3
19831,063215▲ 14
19821,024229▼ 9
19811,116220▼ 19
19801,218201▼ 8
19791,254193–
19781,236193▼ 11
19771,270182▼ 15
19761,407167▲ 3
19751,383170▼ 3
19741,443167▼ 7
19731,511160▼ 17
19721,845143▼ 12
19712,373131▼ 17
19702,930114▼ 16
19693,06298▼ 9
19683,40889▼ 10
19673,90979▼ 12
19664,61767▼ 12
19655,68555▼ 4
19647,09251▼ 2
19638,05049▼ 3
19629,15446▼ 1
19619,99745▼ 2
196010,64543▼ 2
195911,06841▲ 3
195810,07944–
19578,91044▲ 15
19566,47259▲ 13
19555,50972▲ 4
19545,06276▲ 8
19534,53984▲ 1
19524,31385▲ 1
19514,05386▼ 3
19504,20783▼ 15
19495,02768▼ 8
19485,74260▼ 2
19476,23158▲ 11
19464,57069▲ 10
19453,38479▲ 10
19442,83689▲ 4
19432,68493▲ 9
19422,376102▲ 10
19411,881112▲ 9
19401,555121▲ 18
19391,208139▲ 10
19381,077149▲ 23
1937846172▲ 6
1936741178▼ 2
1935773176–
1934771176▲ 2
1933728178▼ 1
1932780177▼ 4
1931786173▼ 4
1930862169▼ 7
1929887162–
1928925162▼ 8
19271,027154▼ 3
19261,052151▼ 7
19251,145144▼ 5
19241,219139▼ 6
19231,255133▼ 3
19221,269130–
19211,294130▼ 3
19201,281127▼ 2
19191,294125▼ 16
19181,523109▲ 3
19171,385112▼ 4
19161,399108▲ 2
19151,335110▲ 2
1914998112▲ 9
1913661121▲ 2
1912543123▲ 10
1911255133▲ 2
1910245135▲ 5
1909187140▲ 21
1908149161▼ 14
1907157147▲ 6
1906131153▲ 7
1905126160▼ 4
1904123156▼ 9
1903127147▲ 34
190292181▲ 11
190176192▼ 42
1900139150▲ 30
189978180▼ 1
189887179▲ 13
189779192▼ 21
189694171▲ 32
189571203▼ 19
189480184▲ 13
189373197▲ 16
189268213▼ 2
189156211▼ 10
189066201▲ 2
188964203▼ 26
188883177▲ 33
188754210▼ 18
188670192▲ 12
188560204▼ 2
188466202▼ 12
188362190▲ 13
188263203▲ 26
188144229▼ 4
188052225–

Steve by state

Steve ranks #990 in Georgia (2025).

Map: Steve's 2025 rank among boy names in each U.S. state
Rank among boy names by state, 2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Rank by state 6 states
StateRankBabies
Georgia9908
California1,01121
Illinois1,2805
Florida1,3538
New York1,7605
Texas1,9088

Notable people named Steve

  • Steve Jobs was an American inventor and businessman who co-founded Apple and later led it to create some of the most influential tech products of our time.
  • Steve Biko was a South African anti-apartheid activist who led the Black Consciousness Movement in the late 1960s and 1970s.
  • Steve Ditko was an American comic book artist who helped create Spider-Man and Doctor Strange and gave Iron Man his famous red and gold look.
  • Steve McQueen — Terrence Stephen McQueen was an American actor whose rebellious antihero roles made him a box office star from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s and earned him the nickname King of Cool.
  • Steve Vai is a three-time Grammy-winning American guitarist who got his start with Frank Zappa before building a celebrated solo career and playing alongside rock legends like David Lee Roth and Whitesnake.
More people named Steve 10 more
  • Steve Wozniak, known as Woz, is the American engineer and inventor who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs in 1976 and helped spark the personal computer revolution.
  • Steve Young is a Hall of Fame quarterback who won three Super Bowls and two MVP awards during his celebrated career with the San Francisco 49ers.
  • Steve Irwin, the beloved Australian Crocodile Hunter, was a wildlife educator and television personality celebrated as one of the greatest conservationists of all time.
  • Steve Yzerman — Stephen Yzerman is a Canadian hockey legend who spent his entire 22-season playing career with the Detroit Red Wings.
  • Steve Lukather — Steven Lee Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as a founding member of Toto and a prolific session musician.
  • Steve Harvey is an American comedian and TV host best known for Family Feud and his morning radio show, earning seven Daytime Emmys along the way.
  • Steve Carell is an American actor and comedian best known for his Golden Globe-winning role as Michael Scott in The Office.
  • Steve Perry is an American singer and songwriter best known as the soaring voice of Journey during the band's peak years.
  • Steve Prefontaine was an American distance runner who set national records at every distance from two to ten kilometers and raced in the 1972 Olympics before his death in 1975.
  • Steve Coppell is an English football manager and former player, best known for his days as a Manchester United winger.