Stavros
Masculine · “Cross”
Stavros is the Greek word for a cross, and the name is exactly that — not a saint's name but the object itself, given in devotion. Greek naming does this readily: Anastasios is resurrection, Christos is the anointed, Stavros is the cross.
How old is the name Stavros?
Stavros first appears in US birth records in 1966 — 59 years ago. The typical Stavros alive today was born around 2000, making them about 25 years old. About 1,000 people named Stavros are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Stavros most popular?
Stavros peaked in 1977, reaching #1948 nationally. Today it ranks #5399, 3,451 places below that high. See the whole 1977 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From stauros to Stavros
The story of Stavros
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates the finding of the cross by Helena, mother of Constantine, and its recovery from the Persians in 628; it is one of the twelve great feasts of the Orthodox church, and children born near it were often given the name. Stavros has been ordinary in Greece and Cyprus ever since. Greek migration brought it to America from the late nineteenth century, and its modest peak in the 1970s belongs to Greek-American families keeping the Greek name rather than anglicizing. The shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos was among the most visible bearers internationally.
Meaning
Cross
From Greek stauros, originally an upright stake or pale and, after the crucifixion, the cross. The reading is settled. The name belongs to a set of Greek Christian names taken directly from the vocabulary of the faith rather than from a person, and it is associated with the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on 14 September.
How the name formed
- stauros
- Stavros
Related forms: Σταύρος · Stavros · Stavru
Pronouncing Stavros
STAHV-ros
Two syllables, stress on the first, with the final s fully sounded. Greek gives the a an open value; American speakers say STAV-rus, reducing the second vowel.
Nicknames for Stavros
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1966
- Most boys named
- 200735 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1948reached in 1977
- Change vs 2024
- 0.0%17 in 2025, from 17
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Stavros in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Σταύρος in Greek — transliteration
- Stavros in Cypriot Greek — same name
- Stavru in Romanian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida, New York.
Stavross among us
people named Stavros are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 100,475 born in 2025 was named Stavros
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Creig test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Stavros's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Creig climbed just as high around 1961, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Creig's path sketches the road Stavros is walking now.
Stavros sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Stavros beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Stavros in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and about as direct as a Christian name gets.
- Stav works as an easy English-facing short form.
- It is instantly recognized across the Greek-speaking world.
- The final s makes it look like a surname to American eyes.
- It is unmistakably Greek and Orthodox, which is either the point or something to weigh.
- It is unfamiliar outside Greek communities and will be spelled out.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Stavros
Masculine · #5399 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Stavross are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Stavros are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Stavros in 2025?
- Stavros ranks #5399 among US boy names in 2025, with 17 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Stavros?
- About 1 in every 100,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Stavros — 17 in all.
- Will my child share the name Stavros with classmates?
- Stavros will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Stavros
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Frazier#5399 · Franz#5399 · Demetrio#5399 · Rolan#5399 · Rayvon#5399 · Riddick#5399 · Laramie#5399 · Soloman#5399
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Stavros? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Stavros and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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