Steffan
Masculine · “Greek stephanos”
Welsh f is a v. That is why Steffan needs two of them: a single f would say Stevan. Welsh orthography is completely regular, more so than English, but its letters do not have the values English readers expect, and the doubled letters are doing real work.
How old is the name Steffan?
Steffan first appears in US birth records in 1950 — 75 years ago. The typical Steffan alive today was born around 1990, making them about 35 years old. About 1,300 people named Steffan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Steffan most popular?
Steffan peaked in 1987, reaching #1234 nationally. Today it ranks #8910, 7,676 places below that high. See the whole 1987 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From stephanos to Steffan
The story of Steffan
Welsh spelling is phonetic and consistent, which makes it easy once the values are learned and impenetrable before. F is v, so Dafydd is Davith and nefoedd is nevoyth. Ff is f. Dd is the th of this, th is the th of thin. Ll is a sound English does not have, made by putting the tongue in the l position and breathing out at the side. U is closer to i, w is a vowel, and y has two values depending on the syllable. The system was fixed early and has been maintained, which means Welsh spelling reforms itself far less often than English does and gives far fewer surprises. Steffan is a small demonstration: the doubling is not decoration, as it usually is in American respellings, but the only way to write the sound at all.
Meaning
Greek stephanos, a wreath or crown
Steffan is the Welsh form of Stephen, from Greek stephanos, a wreath or garland, especially the victor's crown at games. The doubled f is required by Welsh spelling, in which a single f represents the v sound and ff represents f. The name reached Wales through Latin and the Church. The American peak is 1987.
How the name formed
- stephanos
- Stephanus
- Steffan
Related forms: Steffan · Stephen · Stefan
Pronouncing Steffan
STEF-an
Two syllables, stress on the first. Welsh keeps the f sound; English Stephen turns it into a v. Steffan and Stefan are homophones.
Nicknames for Steffan
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
- 1950
- Most boys named
- 199473 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1234reached in 1987
- Change vs 2023
- +14.3%8 in 2025, from 7
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.
Steffan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Steffan in Welsh — same name
- Stephen in English — same name
- Stefan in German — same name
Steffans among us
people named Steffan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 213,510 born in 2025 was named Steffan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Steffan
- #8910
- Steffan on the 2025 chart
- #631
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Steffan went to 8 boys in 2025, but Stefan and Stephan are the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 313, which makes it the 631st most-given boys’ name of the year — 8,279 places above the chart.
About 1 boy in 5,457 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 213,510 for Steffan itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Oval test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Steffan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Oval climbed just as high around 1920, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Oval's path sketches the road Steffan is walking now.
Steffan 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
Steffan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Steffan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is a genuine Welsh form with a regular spelling.
- Steve and Steff are both available as short forms.
- The meaning is clear and documented.
- Stefan and Stephan are both commoner in American use.
- English readers will not know why the f is doubled.
- It is easily confused with Stephen in speech.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Steffan to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Steffan? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Steffan
Masculine · #8910 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Steffans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Steffan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Steffan?
- Steffan is one of 3 recorded spellings. Stefan is the more common one — 219 births in 2025 against 8 for Steffan.
- How popular is the name Steffan in 2025?
- Steffan ranks #8910 among US boy names in 2025, with 8 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Steffan?
- About 1 in every 213,510 US boys born in 2025 was named Steffan — 8 in all.
- Will my child share the name Steffan with classmates?
- Steffan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Steffan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Davie#8910 · Ned#8910 · Darious#8910 · Alois#8910 · Len#8910 · Barton#8910 · Desmon#8910 · Winfield#8910
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Steffan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Steffan 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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle