Stephenson
Son of Stephen, a masculine medieval personal name deriving from Greek meaning "crown".
Name Census estimates that about 185 living Americans carry the first name Stephenson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Stephenson today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stephenson births was 1953 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stephenson. 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
185
~ 1 in 1,852,726 Americans
Peak year
1953
13 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2014 SSA rank
#13,793
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Stephenson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stephenson from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 53 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson
The name Stephenson is an English name that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the occupational surname "Steven's son," meaning the son of a man named Steven. Steven is an ancient name with Greek roots, stemming from the word "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath."
In medieval England, surnames were often formed by adding "-son" to a father's given name to indicate parentage. This practice was particularly common among the working class and artisans. The name Stephenson likely emerged as a way to distinguish the son of a craftsman or tradesman named Steven from others of the same first name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stephenson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a Richard Stevenesson. The name also appears in various medieval records and parish registers across England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Stephenson. One of the most famous was George Stephenson (1781-1848), a pioneering English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is widely regarded as the "Father of Railways." He designed the first public railway line to use steam locomotives and is credited with inventing the first practical steam locomotive.
Another influential figure was Robert Stephenson (1803-1859), the son of George Stephenson. He followed in his father's footsteps as a civil engineer and was responsible for the construction of several significant railway lines and bridges, including the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait.
In the realm of literature, the name Stephenson is associated with Neal Stephenson (born 1959), an American writer known for his speculative fiction works, including the novels "Snow Crash," "Cryptonomicon," and "The Diamond Age."
Other notable individuals with the name Stephenson include Pamela Stephenson (born 1949), an Australian actress, comedian, and psychologist, and Andrew Stephenson (born 1981), a British politician and member of the Conservative Party.
While the name Stephenson has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through English-speaking populations and communities. Its enduring legacy is a testament to the rich history and cultural influence of occupational surnames in the English language.
People
Stephenson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stephenson 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
Stephenson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stephenson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 185 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stephenson 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 1,852,726 US residents.
Is Stephenson a common name?
We classify Stephenson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stephenson most popular?
The single biggest year for Stephenson was 1953, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stephenson is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Stephenson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Stephenson 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.
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.