girl's name
Stephanie
STEF-uh-nee
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,031,632
the United States
#557
2025 births
Stephanie is a girl's name from the Greek for crown or garland, the feminine of Stephen. It peaked in 1990 — the latest peak of any million-birth name in this group, putting it a full generation behind its contemporaries.
- Stephanie is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 24,966 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,106 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1891.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Stephanie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 100 |
| 1900s | 363 |
| 1910s | 2,673 |
| 1920s | 1,988 |
| 1930s | 1,603 |
| 1940s | 11,953 |
| 1950s | 35,621 |
| 1960s | 93,098 |
| 1970s | 161,091 |
| 1980s | 219,181 |
| 1990s | 150,367 |
| 2000s | 50,072 |
| 2010s | 15,849 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,827 |
What Stephanie means
Stephanie means crown or garland. The Greek word names the victor's wreath rather than a royal crown, so the sense is an honor earned in competition.
Where Stephanie comes from
Stephanie is the French Stéphanie, feminine of Stéphane, from the Greek stephanos — a wreath or garland, specifically the one awarded to winners of games. The masculine reached Christendom through Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr; the feminine developed later and separately in France, and English took it from French rather than forming it independently. It arrived in English-speaking use in the nineteenth century and stayed uncommon until the 1960s, which is why its curve sits so much later than the other names of this size.
Stephanie in use
Stephanie peaked in the United States in 1990, when 24,966 babies were registered — the latest peak of any name in this group with more than a million recorded births, and roughly forty years after the 1946 to 1957 cluster its contemporaries share. It now ranks 301st in Ireland, 557th in the United States on 543 births, 632nd in Scotland, 731st in England and Wales and 2651st in France, across 1,031,632 lifetime births.
How popular is Stephanie?
In 2025, Stephanie was given to 543 babies in the United States, ranking #557 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Stephanie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Stephanie is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Stéphanie | Stéphanie is a rare spelling of Stephanie, written with an acute accent and recorded about 238,655 times, mostly in France. | 238,655 |
Names that peaked alongside Stephanie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Stephanie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Stephanie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Stephanie
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.
Stephanie 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 Stephanie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Stephanie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Stephanie
What does the name Stephanie mean?
Crown or garland — the Greek stephanos, the wreath given to a victor.
Is Stephanie the feminine of Stephen?
Yes, by way of the French Stéphane and Stéphanie.
When was Stephanie most popular?
It peaked in 1990 with 24,966 American births — much later than most names of comparable size.
How popular is Stephanie?
557th in the United States and 301st in Ireland.
Is Stephanie a girl's or a boy's name?
Stephanie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Stephanie?
Stephanie has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Stephanie?
Stephanie is usually shortened to Steph and Stevie.
Is Stephanie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Stephanie currently ranks #301 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.