Steve

The name derives from Greek Stephanos, meaning 'wreath' or 'crown', which entered English as Stephen and Steven. For generations it functioned strictly as an informal spoken abbreviation before American parents began writing it directly onto birth certificates in the late nineteenth century. By the nineteen-fifties, the shortened form stood entirely on its own legal footing.

A Steve tends to be pictured adjusting a lawnmower carburetor or standing beside a backyard grill. The name carries the texture of nineteen-fifties driveways and two-car garages. With an average age of sixty-one, the name belongs largely to the baby boomer cohort that accounts for fifty-nine percent of its living bearers. It now reads primarily as an uncle who leaves voicemail messages that conclude by stating the date and time.