Stephen

{{Infobox given name

|name = Stephen

|alternative spelling = Steven

|image = StStephen GiacomoCavedone.jpg

|image_size =

|caption = Saint Stephen (detail) by Giacomo Cavedone

|nickname = Stevo, Steve, Stevie, Ste, Steph

|related names= Stephan, Ștefan, Stefan, Stepan, Stefano, Stefani, Steph, Stephanie, Stevo, Steffen, Sten, Swen, Étienne, Estêvão, Esteban, István, Stephanie (feminine form)

|pronunciation= {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|iː|v|ən}} {{respell|STEE|vən}}

|origin = Greek

|gender = Male

|meaning = Wreath, crown, honour, reward, royalty, renown, fame

|derived = {{lang|grc|Στέφανος}} ({{Transliteration|grc|Stéphanos}})

|see also = Robert, Rudolph, Roger, Louis, Ludwig, Timothy, Waldemar, Vladimir

}}

Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ({{langx|grc|Στέφανος}} {{lang|grc-Latn|Stéphanos}}), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first martyr (or "protomartyr") of the Christian Church.

The name, in both the forms Stephen and Steven, is often shortened to Steve or Stevie. In English, the female version of the name is Stephanie.

Many surnames are derived from the first name, including Stephens, Stevens, Stephenson, and Stevenson, all of which mean "Stephen's (son)". In modern times the name has sometimes been given with intentionally non-standard spelling, such as Stevan or Stevon. A common variant of the name used in English is Stephan ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|ɛ|f|ə|n}} {{respell|STEF|ən}}); related names that have found some currency or significance in English include Stefan (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|ɛ|f|ə|n}} {{respell|STEF|ən}} or {{IPAc-en|s|t|ə|ˈ|f|ɑː|n}} {{respell|stə|FAHN}} in English), Esteban (often pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|s|t|ᵻ|b|æ|n}} {{respell|EST|ib|an}}), and the Shakespearean Stephano ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|ɛ|f|ən|oʊ}} {{respell|STEF|ən|oh}}).

Origins

The name "Stephen" (and its common variant "Steven")Stephen was ranked 246th among male names in the United States in 2015, and 357th in England and Wales ([http://www.behindthename.com/name/stephen/top/united-states source]); Steven was ranked 154th in the United States and 403rd in England and Wales ([http://www.behindthename.com/name/steven/top/united-states source]). Stephen, however, is the form more often used in historical contexts, and almost exclusively the form used for the saint. is derived from Greek {{lang|grc|Στέφανος}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|Stéphanos}}), a first name from the Greek word {{lang|grc|στέφανος}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|stéphanos}}), meaning 'wreath, crown' and by extension 'reward, honor, renown, fame', from the verb {{lang|grc|στέφειν}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|stéphein}}), 'to encircle, to wreathe'.{{cite web |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Stephen&searchmode=none |access-date=2012-02-01 |publisher=Etymonline.com}}[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dste%2Ffanos στέφανος], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek–English Lexicon, on Perseus In Ancient Greece, crowning wreaths (such as laurel wreaths) were given to the winners of contests. Originally, as the verb suggests, the noun had a more general meaning of any "circle"—including a circle of people, a circling wall around a city, and, in its earliest recorded use, the circle of a fight, which is found in the Iliad of Homer.[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?greek.display=UnicodeC&arabic.display=UnicodeC&language=original&navbar.display=show&doc=Hom.+Il.+13.736&fromdoc=null Homer, Iliad, 13.736], on Perseus

In other languages

Like all biblical names, Stephen has forms in other world languages. Among them are:

Esteban — Spanish,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Esteban |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/esteban |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Filipino
Estebão — Old Portuguese
Estepan, Estebe, Extiban, Estevan — Old Spanish
Estêvão — Portuguese{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Estevão |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/esteva14o |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Esteve — Catalan{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Esteve |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/esteve |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Estevo — Galician{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Estevo |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/estevo |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Étienne{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Étienne |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/e10tienne |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} ("Estienne" is an archaic spelling), Stéphan, Stéphane,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stéphane |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/ste10phane |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stéphen, Stéfane, Stéphanne — French
İstefanos, Stefan — Turkish
İstfan, Stepan — Azeri
István,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name István |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/istva10n |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stefán, Csépán — Hungarian
Estebe, Eztebe — Basque{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Estebe |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/estebe |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Sitiveni — Fijian
Steafán, Stiofán{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stiofán |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stiofa10n |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}, Steabhán — Irish
Štefan — Slovak, Slovene{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Štefan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/s18tefan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Stefan, Shtjefën, Fan — Albanian
Stef, Stefan, Stephan, Steven, Stefanus, Steffen,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stefanus |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stefanus |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stefaan, Stefans — Afrikaans, Dutch
Stefan, Stephan, Steffen — German{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stephan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stephan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Stefan, Stevan — Cornish, as in Eglosstefan, Lannstevan
Stefan, Steven — Breton, as in Sant-Stefan-ar-Roudouz, Gwion Steven
Ștefan,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Ștefan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/s25tefan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} with the diminutives Ștefănel, Ștefăniță, Ștefănuț — Romanian
Stefan, Szczepan — Polish{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Szczepan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/szczepan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Stefano{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stefano |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stefano |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} — Italian Esperanto
Stefans, Stepans, Stepons, Stīvens — Latvian
Stefanus, Stephanus — Latin
Stefán — Icelandic{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stefán |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stefa10n |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Steven, Stephen, Stefanus, Stefan — Indonesian
Staffan, Stefan — Swedish{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Staffan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/staffan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Steffan,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Steffan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/steffan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stifyn, Stîfyn — Welsh
Steffen — Norwegian{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Steffen |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/steffen |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Steffen, Stephen, Stefan, Stephan — Danish
Steffeni, Stefani, Stiifaat — Greenlandic
Štěpán — Czech{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Štěpán |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/s18te18pa10n |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Steponas,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Steponas |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/steponas |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stepas — Lithuanian
Stiefnu — Maltese
Stèaphan{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Steaphan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/steaphan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}, Stìobhan, Stìophan — Scottish Gaelic
Stjepan{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stjepan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stjepan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}, Stijepo, Stepan, Stipan, Stipe, Stipo, Stipa, Šćepan, Šćepo, Štef, Stevko,{{cite web|url=https://actacroatica.com/en/name/Stevko/|title=Name Stevko @ Acta Croatica|website=actacroatica.com}} Stevo, Stefan, Stevan, Stevica — Serbo-Croatian as in Stefan the First-Crowned
Tapani, Teppo, Tahvo{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Tahvo |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/tahvo |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}, Teppana,— Finnish
Têphanô, Stêphanô, Êtiên — Vietnamese
Tehvan — Estonian
Tipene — Māori{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Tipene |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/tipene |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Στέφανος (Stephanos, Stefanos,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stefanos |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stefanos |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Stephanas, Stepfan, Stephano, Stephanus — Greek
Степан (Stepan{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stepan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stepan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}, the most common; Ukrainian), Стефан (Stefan)
Степан/Stepan, Stepa, Stepka, Stepanya, Stepashka — Russian
Стефан (Stefan{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stefan |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stefan |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}), diminutive: Чефо (Chefo), Стефчо (Stefcho), Стефо (Stefo) — Bulgarian
Стефан/Stefan, Стеван/Stevan, Стево/Stevo,{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stevo |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stevo |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}} Стефо/Stefo, Стефче/Stefche — Macedonian
ⲥⲧⲉⲫⲁⲛⲟⲥ (Step(h)anos), ⲥⲧⲉⲫⲁⲛⲉ (Step(h)ana), ⲥⲉⲧⲉⲡⲫⲉⲛ (Sedephen) — Coptic
Сцяпан/Sciapan — Belarusian
Ычтапан/Içtapan — Tatar{{Cite web |url=http://www.tugantelem.narod.ru/dialekt/yusupov.html |title=Татарская диалектология |language=tt |type=Archived copy |access-date=2016-03-05 |archive-date=2016-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307100111/http://www.tugantelem.narod.ru/dialekt/yusupov.html |url-status=dead }}
სტეფანე (Stepane) — Georgian{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Stepane |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/stepane |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Behind the Name |language=en}}
Ստեփանոս (Stepan), diminutive: Փանոս (Panos) — Armenian
סטיבן (Stiven), סטפן (Stefan) — Hebrew
እስጢፋኖስ (Estefanos) — Amharic{{cite web|url=https://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/ethiopian_names/ethiopian_names_e/|title=Amharic Names That Start With E|website=ethiopia.limbo13.com}}
እስቲፋኖስ (Estifanos) — Tigrinya

People with the name

List of people with given name Stephen
Stephen (surname), including a list of people with the surname

{{For|people more commonly known as Stevie|Stevie (disambiguation){{!}}Stevie}}

Popularity

In the United Kingdom, it peaked during the 1950s and 1960s as one of the top ten male first names (ranking third in 1954) but had fallen to twentieth by 1984 and had fallen out of the top one hundred by 2002.{{cite web|url=http://www.babynames.co.uk/meaning_origin_name_Stephen.htm |title=Stephen – Meaning And Origin Of The Name Stephen |publisher=BabyNames.co.uk |access-date=2012-02-01}} The name was ranked 201 in the United States in 2009, according to the Social Security Administration.[http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi Popular Baby Names], Social Security Online The name reached its peak popularity in 1951 but remained very common through the mid-1990s, when popularity started to decrease in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.babynametrain.com/meanings/boy/Stephen/ |title=Popularity of Stephen in the United States |publisher=Babynametrain.com |access-date=2012-02-01 |archive-date=2018-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112021705/http://www.babynametrain.com/meanings/boy/Stephen/ |url-status=usurped }}

In England and Wales, neither "Stephen" nor "Steven" was among the top 100 names for newborn boys in 2003–2007.[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp Top 100 names for baby boys in England and Wales] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522193009/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp |date=May 22, 2011 }}, National Statistics, 2009. In Scotland, "Steven" and "Stephen" were the eighth and tenth most popular names for newborn boys in 1975, but were not in the top ten in 1900, 1950 or 2000.[http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/occpapers/popular-forenames-in-scotland-1900-2000.html Popular Forenames in Scotland, 1900 – 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608213428/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/occpapers/popular-forenames-in-scotland-1900-2000.html |date=2009-06-08 }}, General Register Office, Scotland, Occasional Paper No. 2, 2001. "Stephen" was 68th in 1900,Table: [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/name6.pdf The Top 100 Names: 1900] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101161329/http://gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/name6.pdf |date=2011-01-01 }}, in Popular Forenames in Scotland, 1900 – 2000, General Register Office, Scotland, Occasional Paper No. 2, 2001. and 46th in 1950,Table: [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/name2.pdf The Top 100 Names: 1950] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612055942/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/name2.pdf |date=2009-06-12 }}, in Popular Forenames in Scotland, 1900 – 2000, General Register Office, Scotland, Occasional Paper No. 2, 2001. while "Steven" was not in the top 100 either year. Neither spelling was in the top 100 names for newborn boys in Scotland in 2008.Table: [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/popular-forenames/pop-names-2008-table1.pdf Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2008, showing changes since 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614122735/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/popular-forenames/pop-names-2008-table1.pdf |date=2011-06-14 }}, in [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/popular-names/popular-forenames-babies-first-names-2008/list-of-detailed-tables.html Popular Forenames — Babies' First Names 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420064613/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/popular-names/popular-forenames-babies-first-names-2008/list-of-detailed-tables.html |date=2010-04-20 }}, General Register Office, Scotland, 2009.

In the United States, the spelling "Stephen" reached its peak of popularity between 1949 and 1951, when it was the 19th most popular name for newborn boys. It stayed in the top 100 boys' names from 1936 through 2000, and for most years between 1897 and 1921. In 2008 it was the 192nd most common name for boys.[http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ Popular baby names], U.S. Social Security Administration, 2009. The spelling "Steven" reached its peak during 1955–1961, when it was the tenth most popular name for newborn boys. It stayed in the top 100 boys' names from 1941 through 2007. In 2008 it was the 104th most popular name for boys. Before the 20th century, the "Steven" spelling was heavily outweighed by "Stephen", never reaching above 391st.

References

Category:Given names of Greek language origin

Category:English masculine given names

Category:Masculine given names

Category:Bulgarian masculine given names

Category:German masculine given names