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Stephen or Steven is a common English
first name First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
. It is particularly significant to
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
, as it belonged to
Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chu ...
who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...
(or "
protomartyr A protomartyr ( Koine Greek, ''πρότος'' ''prótos'' "first" + ''μάρτυρας'' ''mártyras'' "martyr") is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Proto ...
") of the
Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym for ...
. In English, Stephen is most commonly pronounced as ' (). The name, in both the forms Stephen and Steven, is often shortened to Steve or Stevie. The spelling as Stephen can also be pronounced which is from the Greek original version,
Stephanos Stephanos or Stefanos, in Greek , is a masculine given name derived from the Greek word (''stéphanos''), meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", from the verb (''stéphein''), "to encircle, to wreathe". In Ancient ...
. In English, the female version of the name is
Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian " ...
. 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 Stephan may refer to: * Stephan, South Dakota, United States * Stephan (given name), a masculine given name * Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname See also * Sankt-Stephan * Stefan (disambiguation) * Stephan-Oterma * Stephani * Stephe ...
; related names that have found some currency or significance in English include Stefan (pronounced or in English),
Esteban Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend ...
(often pronounced ), and the
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
an Stephano ().


Origins

The name "Stephen" (and its common variant "Steven") is derived from
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(), a first name from the Greek word (), meaning 'wreath, crown' and by extension 'reward, honor, renown, fame', from the verb (), 'to encircle, to wreathe'. In
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
, crowning wreaths (such as
laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom ('' Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...
s) 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 The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyss ...
of
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...
.


In other languages

Like all biblical names, Stephen has forms in other world languages. Among them are: * ''
Esteban Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend ...
'' (Spanish, Filipino,
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
) * ''Estepan'', ''Estebe'', ''Extiban'' * ''Estebão '' ( Old Portuguese) * ''Ixtebe'' (
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
) * ''Estevan'' (
Old Spanish Old Spanish, also known as Old Castilian ( es, castellano antiguo; osp, romance castellano ), or Medieval Spanish ( es, español medieval), was originally a dialect of Vulgar Latin spoken in the former provinces of the Roman Empire that provided ...
) * ''Estêvão'' ( Portuguese) * ''Esteve'' ( Catalan) * ''Estevo'' ( Galician) * ''
Étienne Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne. Étienne, Etienne, Ettiene or Ettienne may refer to: People Scientists and inventors * ...
'' ("
Estienne Estienne is a French surname or given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Estienne or Étienne de La Boétie (1530–1563), French philosopher, judge and writer * Estienne Grossin (), French composer * Estienne de La Roche (14 ...
" is an archaic spelling), '' Stéphan'', ''
Stéphane Stéphane is a male French given name an equivalent of Stephen/Steven. Notable people with this given name include: * Stéphane Adam (born 1969), French footballer * Stéphane Agbre Dasse (born 1989), Burkinabé football player * Stéphane Allagno ...
'', '' Stéphen'', ''Stéfane'', ''Stéphanne'' ( French) * ''İstefanos'', ''Stefan'' ( Turkish) * ''İstfan'', ''Stepan'' (
Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most nume ...
) * '' István'', ''Stefán, Csépán'' ( Hungarian) * ''Stefan'', ''Shtjefën'', ''Fan'', ''Sven'' (
Albanian language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is gen ...
) * ''
Staffan Staffan is a Swedish form of Stephen, attested since 1330. It may refer to: * Staffan Anger (born 1943), Swedish politician of the Moderate Party * Staffan Appelros (born 1950), Swedish politician of the Moderate Party * Staffan Danielsson (born 1 ...
'', ''Stefan'', ''
Sven Sven (in Danish and Norwegian, also Svend and also in Norwegian most commonly Svein) is a Scandinavian first name which is also used in the Low Countries and German-speaking countries. The name itself is Old Norse for "young man" or "young war ...
'' ( Swedish) * ''Steabhán'', ''Stíofán'', ''Stiofán'' ( Irish) * '' Stefán'' ( Icelandic) * ''Stefano'' (
Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international commun ...
) * ''
Stefano Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ac ...
'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
) * ''
Ștefan Ștefan is the Romanian form of Stephen, used as both a given name and a surname. For the English version, see Stefan. Some better known people with the name Ștefan are listed below. For a comprehensive list see . Notable persons with that name ...
'', with the diminutives ''Ștefănel'', ''Ștefăniță'', ''Ștefănuț'' ( Romanian) * ''Štefan'' ( Slovak) * ''Štefan'' ( Slovene) * ''Stefan'', ''Stefaan'', ''Stefans'', ''Steven'', ''Stephan'' (
Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans grad ...
,
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...
) * ''Stefan'', ''Stephan'', ''Steffen'' ( German) * ''Stefan'', ''Szczepan'' (
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin scree ...
) * ''Steffan'', ''Stifyn'', ''Stîfyn'' ( Welsh) * ''Steffen'' ( Norwegian) * ''Steffen'', ''Stephen'', ''Stefan'', ''Stephan'' (
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
) * ''Štěpán'' (
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech ...
) * ''Stefanus'', '' Stephanus'' (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
) * ''Stefans'', ''Stepans'', ''Stepons'', ''Stīvens'' ( Latvian) * ''
Steponas Steponas (shortened as Stepas) is a Lithuanian masculine given name. It is a cognate of the English language name Stephen, and may refer to: *Steponas Babrauskas Steponas Babrauskas (born June 20, 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball ...
'', ''Stepas'' (
Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
) * ''Stefan'', ''Steven'' ( Breton) * ''Stiefnu'' ( Maltese) * ''Stìobhan, Stìophan, Stèaphan'' (
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
) * ''
Stjepan Stjepan is a Croatian masculine given name, variant of Stephen, used by ijekavian speakers. In Croatia, the name Stjepan was among the top ten most common masculine given names in the decades up to 1969. Notable people with the name include: * ...
, Stipan, Stipe, Stipo, Stipa, Štef'', ''Stevko'', ''Stevo'' ( Croatian) * ''Tapani'', ''Teppana'', ''Teppo'' ( Finnish) * ''Tehvan'' ( Estonian) * ''Steffen'', ''Sven'' ( Norwegian) *ⲥⲧⲉⲫⲁⲛⲟⲥ (''Step(h)anos''), ⲥⲧⲉⲫⲁⲛⲉ (''Step(h)ana''), ⲥⲉⲧⲉⲡⲫⲉⲛ (''Sedephen'') (
Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet, t ...
) * סטיבן (''Stiven''), סטפן (''stefan''); (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
) * Στέφανος (''Stephanos'', ''Stefanos'', ''Stephanas'', ''Stepfan'', ''Stephano'', ''Stephanus'';
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
) * Степан (''Stepan,'' the most common; Ukrainian), Стефан (''Stefan'') * Стефан (''Stefan''), diminutive: Чефо (''Chefo''), Стефчо (''Stefcho''), Стефо (''Stefo''), ( Bulgarian) * Стефан/Stefan, Стеван/Stevan, Степан/Stepan, Стјепaн/Stjepan, Шћепан/Šćepan, Стево/Stevo, Стијепо/Stijepo, Шћепо/Šćepo, Стевица/Stevica ( Serbian) * Стефан/Stefan, Стеван/Stevan, Шћепан/Šćepan ( Montenegrin) * Стефан/Stefan, Стеван/Stevan, Стево/Stevo, Стефо/Stefo, Стефче/Stefche ( Macedonian) * Степан/''Stepan'', Stepa, Stepane, Stepanya, Stepka, Stipan (
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
) * Сцяпан/''Sciapan'' (
Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...
) * Ычтапан/Içtapan (
Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
is an umbrella term for different
) * ''İstfan, Stepan'' (
Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most nume ...
) * ''Steffeni, Stefani, Stiifaat'' ( Greenlandic) * እስጢፋኖስ (''Estefanos'';
Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
)


People with the name

* List of people with given name Stephen *
Stephen (surname) Stephen is a surname of English, Scottish, and German origin. It is a reasonably common surname. The German variant is thought to have originated from the German-speaking world as (Von) ''Stephan''. Stephen is the 3,845 most common surname in t ...
, including a list of people with the surname


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. The name was ranked 201 in the United States in 2009, according to the Social Security Administration.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. In England and Wales, neither "Stephen" nor "Steven" was among the top 100 names for newborn boys in 2003–2007. 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. "Stephen" was 68th in 1900, and 46th in 1950, 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
Top 100 boys' and girls' names, Scotland, 2008, showing changes since 2007
, in

'', 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.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.


See also

* *
Stevens (surname) Stevens as an English-language surname was brought to England after the Norman Conquest and means 'son of Steven'. This surname may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature * Barry Stevens (therapist) (1902–1985), writer, Gestalt therapist ...
*
Stephens (surname) Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States of America * Alison Stephens (1970–2010), Bri ...
*
Stephenson (surname) Stephenson is a medieval patronymic surname meaning "son of Stephen". The earliest public record is found in the county of Huntingdonshire in 1279. There are variant spellings including Stevenson. People with the surname include: *Ashley Step ...
*
Stevenson (surname) Stevenson is an English language patronymic surname meaning "son of Steven". Its first historical record is from pre-10th-century England. Another origin of the name is as a toponymic surname related to the place Stevenstone in Devon, England. Th ...
*
Helen Steven Helen Steven (19 October 1942 – 12 April 2016) was a Scottish Quaker peace activist and one of the founders of the Scottish Centre for Nonviolence. Her opposition to the nuclear submarine base in Scotland was recognised with the Gandhi Inter ...
(1942-2016), Scottish pacifist


References

{{Authority control Given names of Greek language origin English masculine given names Bulgarian masculine given names German masculine given names