boy's name
Stéphane
stay-FAN
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 313,262
Stéphane is a boy's name meaning crown or garland, the French form of Stephen. It peaked in France in 1971 at 23,380 births and charts in exactly one market, while its own feminine Stéphanie charts in five.
- Stéphane is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1971, when 23,380 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 23,580 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Stéphane over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 820 |
| 1910s | 650 |
| 1920s | 1,030 |
| 1930s | 1,060 |
| 1940s | 1,125 |
| 1950s | 7,150 |
| 1960s | 83,695 |
| 1970s | 159,445 |
| 1980s | 40,205 |
| 1990s | 11,000 |
| 2000s | 2,815 |
| 2010s | 840 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 225 |
What Stéphane means
Stéphane means crown or garland. The Greek word names the wreath given to a victor at games rather than a royal crown, so the sense is an honor earned rather than inherited.
Where Stéphane comes from
Stéphane is the French form of the Greek Stephanos, a wreath or garland — specifically the crown awarded to winners of games and to the honored dead, not the diadem of a monarch. Saint Stephen is named in Acts as the first Christian martyr, stoned outside Jerusalem while Saul of Tarsus, later Paul, looked on. The name spread across Christendom from that account. The French feminine Stéphanie was formed from it and spread far more widely than the masculine, reaching the English-speaking world in the twentieth century while Stéphane stayed in France.
Stéphane in use
Stéphane peaked in France in 1971, when 23,380 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track — 1299th in France on 30 births — across 313,262 lifetime births. Its own feminine Stéphanie, written up separately, holds more than a million births and charts in five markets, so the derived name has outrun its source by a wide margin.
How popular is Stéphane?
In 2025, Stéphane was given to 25 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Stéphane is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Stéphane is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Stephane | Stephane is a spelling of Stéphane, used in Canada, where it ranks #2,581. | 3,532 |
Names that peaked alongside Stéphane
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Stéphane also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Stéphane over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Stéphane
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Stéphane in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Stéphane
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Stéphane — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Stéphane
What does the name Stéphane mean?
Crown or garland — the Greek stephanos, the wreath given to a victor.
Is Stéphane the same as Stephen?
Yes, the French and English forms of the same Greek name.
Is Stéphanie related?
It is the feminine formed from it — and it has spread far more widely, charting in five markets to Stéphane's one.
How popular is Stéphane?
1299th in France, down from a 1971 peak of 23,380 births.
Is Stéphane a girl's or a boy's name?
Stéphane is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Stéphane?
Stéphane is usually shortened to Steph.
Is Stéphane a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Stéphane currently ranks #1,299 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.