Stevie

His feast day on December 26 became a major holiday across medieval Europe, commemorated in the English carol Good King Wenceslas.

The masculine Stephen spread widely throughout Christendom, while the feminine Stephanie emerged later, first documented in France during the 13th century.

The diminutive Stevie gained cultural prominence in the 20th century through 2 remarkable figures.

The British poet Stevie Smith (born Florence Margaret Smith, 1902-1971) published Novel on Yellow Paper (1936) and the celebrated poem Not Waving but Drowning (1957).

American musician Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Morris in 1950, became one of the most influential recording artists in history, while Stevie Nicks (born Stephanie Lynn Nicks in 1948) joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975 and brought the feminine usage

into mainstream consciousness.

In U.S. Social Security Administration records, Stevie has shifted increasingly toward feminine usage in the 21st century.

It entered the girls’ top 1000 in 2014 and has climbed steadily, paralleling the rise of other unisex nickname-style names such as Frankie, Charlie, and Tommie. It remains most popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Notable bearers include American actress Stevie Ryan and the character Stevie Budd from the Canadian television series Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020), which contributed to the name’s recent rise.