Given name & surname
Steele
“as strong as steel”
Steele is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “as strong as steel.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “as strong as steel.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1920. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Steele through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,191
- 3,053 boys · 138 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 184 babies
- 2025
- 184
- #1,185 for boys · #10,024 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +11%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 174 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,185 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 10 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,237 as a first name in 2020; 85,371 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Steele’s family of names
Steele has a related form in Steel. In German usage, Steele as a surname has a related form in STAEHLE. In German usage, Steele as a surname has a related form in STAEHLE.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Steele
- Steele Von HoffAustralian racing cyclistborn 1987
- Steele JohnsonAmerican diverborn 1996
- Steele MacKayeAmerican playwright and inventor (1842–1894)
- Steele StebbinsAmerican film and television actorborn 2003
- Steele RuddAustralian writer (1868–1935)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Steele, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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