What Happened to Steve?

When I was growing up, names of boys and girls were a lot different than they are today.

Today, it's all Liam and Noah and Jacob and Emma and Sophia and Isabella.

Steven – my name – was a pretty common name back in my day, the 1950s and 60s.

But today? Not so much.

In the latest compilation of most popular kid names, Steve/Steven/Stephen is a name seen badly slipping in popularity. According to the Social Security Administration – which keeps track of these things – during the latest decade of 2010-2020, Steven placed No. 79 and Stephen placed No. 137.

There were no "just Steves” in the Top 200 list compiled by the SSA.

Steve McQueen

It’s a name that has certainly been around a long time -- even mentioned in the Bible -- but did not enjoy much popularity in the early 1900s.

The name Stephen and Steve placed well above No. 100 in the 1920s and 1930s. And the name “Steven” didn’t make the Top 200 at all -- in either decade.

It wasn’t till the 1940s when Steven showed up in a big way, placing No. 29 during the decade. It was the decade in which I was born – though barely – in December 1949. Stephen was also suddenly high in popularity in the 40s, placing No. 25.

Just “Steve” came in at No. 79.

In the 1950s, my name definitely hit its stride, with Steven coming in at No. 11, Stephen at No. 20 and just plain Steve placing No. 56.

Steve Martin

The name Steven and its variants continued to place high in the 1960s and 1970s but began to noticeably slip in the 1980s and 1990s.

Yes, name popularity does change dramatically over the years. Names like Clarence, Homer and Delbert were once very popular male monikers. Now, they’re rarely chosen unless there’s some strong family reason.

Steve Jobs

But some names seem to defy the test of time and cultural transformation.

Jacob was the most popular boy name from 1999-2012 – a total of 14 consecutive years. But over the last 100 years, Michael has been the most popular name from 1961-1998 – that’s 37 years in a row.

Michael, row your boat ashore!!

But let’s not forget the ladies. The most popular female names had a bit more diversity over the last 100, but three stand out:

Emily had an 11-year popularity run from 1996-2007. Jennifer was most popular for a 14-year run from 1970-1984.

But the most popular name for a baby girl over at least the last 100 years is Mary, enjoying a 25-year run from 1921-1946, followed by another 8-year run from 1953-1961 for a total of 33 years.

Just so you know: The most popular male name in 2020 was Liam, carrying on a 4-year streak. The most popular female name in 2020 was Olivia, enjoying a 2-year run.