Stephene
From the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath".
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Stephene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Stephene today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stephene births was 1973 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stephene. 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
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
1973
15 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2003 SSA rank
#18,064
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Stephene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stephene from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 106 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stephene 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 Stephene 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 Stephene
Stephene is a masculine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath." The name can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was commonly used as a name for boys.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 5th century BC, when it appeared in Greek literature and historical records. One notable figure from this time was Stephene of Athens, a philosopher and student of Socrates, who lived from around 470 BC to 399 BC.
In the early Christian era, the name Stephene gained popularity as a reference to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts. St. Stephen was stoned to death in Jerusalem around 34 AD for preaching the gospel.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name remained in use across Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Greek culture and the Orthodox Christian tradition. One notable bearer of the name was Stephene of Byzantium, a 6th-century Byzantine scholar and grammarian who wrote extensively on the geography and history of the ancient world.
During the Renaissance period, the name experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe influenced by the revival of classical Greek and Roman culture. One famous bearer of the name from this time was Stephene Armatoli, an Italian painter and architect who lived from around 1460 to 1530.
In the 17th century, the name was also used in England, where it was sometimes spelled as "Stephen." One notable figure from this period was Stephen Goffe, an English Puritan minister and one of the regicides involved in the execution of King Charles I in 1649.
Other notable individuals named Stephene throughout history include Stephene Hawking, the renowned English theoretical physicist and cosmologist (1942-2018); Stephene King, the American author of contemporary horror and suspense novels (born in 1947); and Stephene Curry, the American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors (born in 1988).
People
Stephene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stephene 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
Stephene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stephene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stephene 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Stephene a common name?
We classify Stephene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 281 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stephene most popular?
The single biggest year for Stephene was 1973, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stephene is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Stephene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Stephene 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.