2000
#9,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,090
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Steven
Derived from the given name Steven, which comes from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,985 Americans carry the last name Steven. That puts it at #11,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steven surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Steven with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,826
Census rank
#11,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,603 bearers of the surname Steven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steven, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steven
The surname Steven is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English given name Stæfn, which was a shortened form of the longer name Stæfnweard, meaning "crown guard" or "protector of the crown." This name was commonly used in Anglo-Saxon England and can be traced back to the 7th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Steven can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Steuene, Steuene, and Stephene, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time.
The surname Steven was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. These areas were heavily influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture and language, which may explain the popularity of the name in those regions.
In the 13th century, a notable individual named Stephen Langton (c.1150-1228) served as the Archbishop of Canterbury and played a crucial role in the issuance of the Magna Carta in 1215. His given name, Stephen, was a variant of the surname Steven.
During the 14th century, John Steven (c.1350-1419) was a prominent English theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Oxford. He was a significant figure in the scholastic tradition and authored several works on logic and metaphysics.
In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Steven (c.1500-1560) was a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He was known for his involvement in the wool trade and his patronage of the arts and education.
In the 17th century, Samuel Steven (1624-1670) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious and theological topics. His works, such as "A Plain and Easy Exposition of the Shorter Catechism," were widely read and influential in his time.
Another notable individual with the surname Steven was Sir James Steven (1712-1786), a Scottish architect and designer who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
These examples illustrate the long-standing presence and significance of the surname Steven in various regions of England and Scotland throughout history, with individuals from different professions and backgrounds bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steven
Among Census respondents with the surname Steven, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Steven bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Steven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.9% · 1,663
- Black or African American19.4% · 505
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 85
- Two or more races2.7% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steven
Steven appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
-371 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 1,911 places
2020
#11,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
-116 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,649 | 3,090 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,560 | 2,719 | 0.92 | -371 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 1,911 places |
| 2020 | #11,553 | 2,603 | 0.87 | -116 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Steven surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,560 | #11,553 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,719 | 2,603 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.87 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steven bearers went from 2,719 to 2,603 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,560 to #11,553.
FAQ
Steven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steven?
Name Census estimates that about 2,985 living Americans carry the surname Steven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,826 residents.
How common is Steven?
Steven ranks #11,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,603 people with the surname Steven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Steven.
Has Steven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steven went from 2,719 recorded bearers to 2,603. That is a decrease of 116 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,560 to #11,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Steven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steven, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Hispanic (7.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Steven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (1,663 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.9%), Black (19.4%), Hispanic (7.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Steven (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Steven mean?
Derived from the given name Steven, which comes from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Steven (0.87 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Steven?
You can see how many people have the last name Steven on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.