Given name & surname · also German
Stein
“as solid as a stone”·“stone”
Stein is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “as solid as a stone” (German) and “stone” (Norwegian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original GermanSteen
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “as solid as a stone” (German) and “stone” (Norwegian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old Norse.
How it developed
In English usage, Stein as a surname has a patronymic derivation linked to Stephen.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1960. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Stein through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 108
- 108 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1965
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2012. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 311 as a first name in 2020; 41,382 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.
Stein’s family of names
In Norwegian Nynorsk usage, Stein shares a linguistic root with the English form Stone. In Norwegian usage, Stein has a conventional equivalent in the Danish form Sten. In Norwegian usage, Stein has a conventional equivalent in the English form Stone.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Stein has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
16 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Stein
- Stein RokkanNorwegian political scientist1921–1979
- Stein EriksenNorwegian alpine skier (1927–2015)
- Stein Erik HagenNorwegian businessman (1956–2026)
- Stein MehrenNorwegian writer (1935–2017)
- Stein HuysegemsBelgian footballerborn 1982
- Stein Grieg HalvorsenNorwegian actor (1909-2013)
- Stein WingeNorwegian theatre director (1940–2024)
- Stein MetzgerAmerican beach volleyball playerborn 1972
- Stein RønningNorwegian karateka (1965–2008)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Stein, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sven
“a youthful man; a lad”
>99% boys
Björn
“bear”
>99% boys
Roald
“praise, fame” · “ruler, chieftain”
>99% boys
Bror
“brother”
>99% boys
Frode
“a wise man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Birger
“helper”
>99% boys
Tor
“one who is peaceful”
>99% boys
Knut
“a knot” · “knot”
>99% boys