Stephenson is a medieval

patronymic surname A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic surnames. For example, early patronymic Welsh surnames were the result of th ...

meaning "son of

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

". The earliest public record is found in the county of

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

in 1279. There are variant spellings including Stevenson. People with the surname include: *

Ashley Stephenson Ashley Stephenson (born November 22, 1982) is a former two-sport athlete from Ontario who played baseball for Canada women's national baseball team and ice hockey in the original NWHL and the CWHL. She won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American ...

(born 1982), Canadian hockey and baseball player *

(1927–2021), British horticulturalist * Benjamin Stephenson (disambiguation), several people *

Ben Stephenson Benjamin Stephenson is a television executive, formerly controller of drama at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and currently Head of Television at Bad Robot Productions in the United States. Personal life Stephenson attended The H ...

, Anglo-American television executive *

Chandler Stephenson Chandler Stephenson (born April 22, 1994) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Washington Capitals organizat ...

(born 1994), Canadian ice hockey player *

Charles Bruce Stephenson Charles Bruce Stephenson (February 9, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American astronomer. He was born on a ranch in Little Rock, Arkansas, the only son of Chauncey Elvira Stephenson and Ona Richards. During his youth he made a telescope and w ...

(1929–2001), American astronomer *

D. C. Stephenson David Curtis "Steve" Stephenson (August 21, 1891 – June 28, 1966) was an American Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader, convicted rapist and murderer. In 1923 he was appointed Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan and head of Klan recruiting for seven other s ...

(1891–1966), American, Ku Klux Klan leader *

Debra Stephenson Debra Stephenson (born 4 June 1972) is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer, best known for her roles as Diane Powell in ''Playing the Field'', Shell Dockley in '' Bad Girls'' and as Frankie Baldwin in ''Coronation Street''. ...

(born 1972), British actress *

Dwight Stephenson Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama Crim ...

, American football player *

Earl Stephenson Chester Earl Stephenson (born July 31, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 3rd round of the 1967 amateur draft and played for the Cubs (1971), Milwaukee Brewers (1972), and Ba ...

(born 1947), American baseball pitcher *

Gene Stephenson Gene Stephenson (born August 31, 1945) is an American retired college baseball coach, who served as the head baseball coach at Wichita State from 1978 to 2013. Career When he arrived at Wichita State, he inherited a program that had been dormant ...

, American college baseball coach *

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...

(1781–1848), British mechanical engineer who created Stephenson's Rocket *

George Robert Stephenson (engineer) George Robert Stephenson (20 October 1819 – 26 October 1905) was a British civil engineer. Life Stephenson was born to Robert Stephenson Senior (brother of the famed George Stephenson) in Newcastle upon Tyne. In a family of civil engin ...

(1819–1905), English civil engineer (nephew of George Stephenson) *

Gilbert Stephenson Vice Admiral Sir Gilbert Owen Stephenson, (13 February 1878 – 27 May 1972) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy, a pioneer of anti-submarine techniques in the First World War, and most famous as an important naval training commandant during ...

(1878–1972), British Vice Admiral *

Gordon Stephenson Gordon Stephenson (6 June 1908 – 30 March 1997) was a British-born town planner and architect. He is best known for his role in shaping the modern growth and development of Perth, Western Australia. Biography Gordon Stephenson was born in 1 ...

(1908–1997), Australian town planner and architect *

Helga Stephenson Helga Stephenson, is a Canadian film industry executive, who served as CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 2011 to 2016."Paying tribute to a true film world visionary". ''Toronto Star'', March 22, 2015. Following her depart ...

, Canadian media executive *

Henry Stephenson Henry Stephenson (born Harry Stephenson Garraway; 16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956) was a British actor. He portrayed friendly and wise gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Sir Joseph Banks in ''Mutiny on the Bo ...

(1871–1956), British actor *

Isaac Stephenson Isaac Stephenson (June 18, 1829March 15, 1918) was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Wisconsin as both a United States representative and a United States senator. He was born in the community of Yorkton, near Fred ...

(1829–1918), U.S. politician from Wisconsin *

Jim Stephenson Jim Stephenson is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He represented New Zealand at international level. Stephenson made his full All Whites debut in a 0–2 loss to New Caledonia on 10 September 1951 and ended his international ...

, New Zealand international football (soccer) goalkeeper *

John Stephenson (disambiguation) John Stephenson may refer to: Politicians * John Stephenson (MP died 1794) (c. 1709–1794), British merchant and politician *John Gould Stephenson (1828–1883), American politician and Librarian of Congress * John Bernard Stephenson (1938–1982 ...

, people named John Stephenson * June Ethel Stephenson (1914–1999), Australian artist *

Lance Stephenson Lance Stephenson Jr. (born September 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Lincoln High School in the Coney Island section of Brook ...

(born 1990), American professional basketball player * M. F. Stephenson (1801 – after 1878), U.S. assayer of the Dahlonega, Georgia Mint *

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work exp ...

(born 1959), U.S. author *

Nicola Stephenson Nicola Stephenson (born 5 July 1971) is an English actress. She played the roles of Margaret Clemence in ''Brookside'', Julie Fitzjohn in '' Holby City'', Sarah Williams in '' The Chase'', Allie Westbrook in '' Waterloo Road'', and Tess Harris ...

(born 1971), British actress *

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...

(born 1949), New Zealand-Australian comedian, actress and psychologist, also known as Pamela Connolly *

Paul Stephenson (footballer) Paul Stephenson (born 2 January 1968) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger or a central midfielder for Newcastle United, Millwall, Gillingham, Brentford and York City before he ended his career with Hartlepool Un ...

, former British footballer. *

Paul Stephenson (civil rights campaigner) Paul Stephenson OBE (born 6 May 1937) is a community worker, activist and long-time campaigner for civil rights for the British African-Caribbean community in Bristol, England. As a young social worker, in 1963 Stephenson led a boycott of the ...

, British civil rights campaigner. *

Sir Paul Stephenson Sir Paul Robert Stephenson (born 26 September 1953) is a British retired police officer who was the Metropolitan Police Commissioner from 2009 to 2011. Stephenson joined the Lancashire police in 1975 and attended the Bramshill staff training c ...

, former

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Metropolitan Police Commissioner. *

Paul Stephenson (rugby league) Paul Stephenson (born 22 September 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the NRL. Background Stephenson was born in Ne ...

, Australian professional rugby league footballer. * Riggs Stephenson (1898–1985), U.S. baseball player *

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE FRSA Doctor of Civil Law, DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railway ...

(1803–1859), British civil and railway engineer (son of George Stephenson) *

Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight Dame Rosie Gojich Stephenson-Goodknight (born December 5, 1953), known on Wikipedia as Rosiestep, is an American Wikipedia editor who is noted for her attempts to address gender bias in the encyclopedia by running a project to increase the quant ...

(born 1953), U.S. Wikipedia editor *

Samuel M. Stephenson Samuel Merritt Stephenson (December 23, 1831 – July 31, 1907) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Personal life Stephenson was born in Hartland, New Brunswick, and moved with his parents to Maine, and later, in 1846, to Delta Cou ...

(1803–1859), U.S. politician from Michigan * Sean Stephenson (1979–2019), American therapist, writer, and speaker *

Thomas Alan Stephenson Thomas Alan Stephenson FRS (19 January 1898 – 3 April 1961) was a British naturalist, and marine biologist, specialising in sea anemones. Education Stephenson was born at Burnham-on-Sea, the son of a minister and amateur botanist. He soon ...

(1898–1961), British zoologist *

Tyler Stephenson Tyler Robert Stephenson (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Reds selected him in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2015 MLB Draft. Born in Atlanta an ...

(b. 1996), American baseball player *

William Stephenson Sir William Samuel Stephenson (23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989), born William Samuel Clouston Stanger, was a Canadian soldier, fighter pilot, businessman and spymaster who served as the senior representative of the British Security Coo ...

(1897–1989), Canadian soldier, airman, businessman, inventor, and spymaster *

William Stephenson (psychologist) William Stephenson (May 14, 1902 – June 14, 1989) was a psychologist and physicist best known for developing Q methodology. He was born in England and trained in physics at the University of Oxford and Durham University (where he earned a Ph.D ...

(1902–1989), psychologist and physicist *

William Haswell Stephenson Sir William Haswell Stephenson (1836-1918) was an English industrialist, Methodist and philanthropist, and mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne. Personal life Stephenson was born at Throckley, near Newcastle upon Tyne, on 15 May 1836. His family were Me ...

(1836–1918), English industrialist and philanthropist in Newcastle upon Tyne

References

{{surname, Stephenson English-language surnames Patronymic surnames de:Stephenson es:Stephenson fr:Stephenson pt:Stephenson ru:Стефенсон vo:Stephenson Surnames from given names

See also

References