Stefania
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "crowned" or "victorious".
Name Census estimates that about 2,132 living Americans carry the first name Stefania. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Stefania today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stefania births was 2004 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stefania. 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.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 160,767 Americans
Peak year
2004
60 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,434
Tracked since 1901
Popularity
Stefania: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stefania from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 476 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Stefania remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stefania 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 Stefania during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Stefanias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Stefania, while Virginia, New Jersey, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 123 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Stefania
The name Stefania originated from the Greek language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath." This name was often associated with victory, achievement, and honor in ancient Greek society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stefania can be found in the ancient Greek text, "The Odyssey," written by Homer around the 8th century BC. In this epic poem, Stefania is mentioned as the name of a character, although her role is minor.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century AD, the name Stefania gained popularity among the Greek Orthodox Christian community. It was often given to girls as a way to honor the many female saints and martyrs who bore the name or its variants.
In the 12th century, a famous Byzantine princess named Stefania Comnena lived during the reign of Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. She was known for her intelligence, beauty, and influential role in the imperial court.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and forms, such as Stephanie, Stefanie, and Stefania. One notable figure was Stefania Przybyszewska, a Polish writer and artist born in 1858, who was a prominent figure in the Young Poland movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with the Russian ballerina Stefania Mikhaylovna Drosso, born in 1899. She was a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet and is considered one of the greatest ballerinas of her time.
Another famous bearer of the name was Stefania Woytilla Turek, the mother of Pope John Paul II, who was born in 1876 in Poland. Her devotion to her faith and her son's vocation as a priest played a significant role in his life and spiritual journey.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Stefania, which has been borne by notable figures throughout various eras and regions, reflecting its enduring appeal and timeless beauty.
People
Stefania + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stefania 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
Stefania: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stefania?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stefania 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 160,767 US residents.
Is Stefania a common name?
We classify Stefania as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,628 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stefania most popular?
The single biggest year for Stefania was 2004, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stefania is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Stefania a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Stefania in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.