Stephen King
There are approximately 1,074 people named Stephen King living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 319,138 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Stephen with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname King. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
1,074
1 in 319,138
Named Stephen
681K
Alive today
Named King
541K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 681K
Rarity: Very Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1952
Average age: 55
Estimated bearers: 541K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #34
Per 100K: 157.78
Top ancestry: White (70.2%)
First name trend
Stephen: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Stephen. The peak year was 1952 with 23,081 births. The average person named Stephen today is 55 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the King surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname King, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 70.2%.
- White70.2%
- Black or African American22.8%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- Two or more races2.3%
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Stephen has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1986% of the US population, based on 680,609 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname King appears at a rate of 157.78 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1578%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1,074 people with the full name Stephen King. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Stephen
Related
Other people with the surname King
FAQ
Stephen King: questions and answers
How many people are named Stephen King?
We estimate approximately 1,074 people in the United States share the full name Stephen King. That works out to about 1 in 319,138 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1986%) with the surname frequency (157.78 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Stephen King?
We classify Stephen King as "Rare". About 1 in 319,138 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Stephen a male or female name?
Stephen is predominantly male. Out of 866,834 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Stephen profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.