St
An abbreviation for "Saint", a title of veneration in Christianity.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name St. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named St today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of St births was 1920 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for St. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name St. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1920
8 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2005 SSA rank
#11,275
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
St: popularity over time
The SSA tracks St from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 8 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, St remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
St by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name St during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of St
The given name St is believed to have originated in the Latin language, where it was a shortened form of the word "sanctus," meaning "holy" or "saint." This name has its roots in ancient Roman culture and was commonly used as an honorific title for individuals who were revered for their pious and virtuous lives.
In early Christian tradition, the name St was frequently used as a prefix before the names of saints and holy figures, serving as a mark of reverence and respect. This practice can be traced back to the early centuries of Christianity, when the veneration of saints became an integral part of the faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name St being used as a first name can be found in the life of St. Ambrose, a renowned bishop of Milan who lived in the 4th century AD (340-397 AD). He was known for his influential writings, his defense of the Church against heresy, and his role in the conversion of St. Augustine.
Another notable figure bearing the name St was St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monastic order, who lived in the 5th-6th century AD (c. 480-547 AD). His monastic rule, known as the Benedictine Rule, had a profound impact on the development of Western monasticism and monastic spirituality.
In the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226 AD), the founder of the Franciscan order, became a revered figure in the Catholic Church. His life of poverty, humility, and devotion to nature and animals has inspired countless followers over the centuries.
The name St was also borne by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD), a renowned philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. His philosophical and theological works, such as the Summa Theologica, have had a lasting impact on Western thought and Catholic doctrine.
Another notable figure bearing the name St was St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582 AD), a Spanish mystic, writer, and reformer of the Carmelite Order. Her influential writings on prayer and spiritual life, such as "The Interior Castle," have been widely read and studied.
While the name St is primarily associated with Christian tradition, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures and contexts throughout history, often as a mark of respect or reverence for individuals who have lived exemplary lives.
People
St + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with St as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
St: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named St?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for St going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is St a common name?
We classify St as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24 babies have been registered with this name.
When was St most popular?
The single biggest year for St was 1920, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living St is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name St in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is St a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as St in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is St still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded St in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like St can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name St?
Find out how many Americans are named St on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.