Surname Stephens - Meaning and Origin

An Intricate Journey: Decoding the Stephens Lineage through iGENEA's DNA Testing

Embarking on a journey to understand my lineage was an exciting experience. Through iGENEA's comprehensive DNA testing, I learned immense knowledge about my surname, Stephens. Tracing back to Celtic roots, I saw centuries of historical migration patterns, societal changes, and early human settlements.

N. Stephens

Stephens: What does the surname Stephens mean?

The last name Stephens is derived from the given name Stephen. Stephen is a male name that has many origins, including Greek, Hebrew, and Old English.

In Greek, the name Stephen is derived from the word "stephanos," meaning "crown." This suggests that the bearer of the name was a leader or ruler, as wearing a crown was a symbol of power and authority.

In Hebrew, Stephen is derived from the phrase “sh’fah talai," which translates to "crown of a child," signifying a beloved child or leader.

In Old English, the name Stephen likely originated from "stein," which means "stone." This suggests that the bearer of this name was strong and dependable, like a rock or stone.

In English, the name Stephens has several alternate spellings, including Steven, Stefan, and Steffen. Ultimately, the meaning of the last name Stephens suggests the bearer was a strong, beloved, and powerful individual.

Stephens: Where does the name Stephens come from?

The Stephens surname is most common today in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Within the U.S., historically the Stephens surname has been concentrated in the south. According to Census Bureau estimates from 2019, the top three states for the Stephens family name are Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. After the southern states, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee all have a notably high number of Stephens families.

In Australia, the surname Stephens is more distributed with the most common occurrences of the name mainly within Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. Similarly, in the U.K., the Stephens surname is widely dispersed but appears more consistently in the south of England; particularly amongst the counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, and Somerset and the cities of London, Birmingham, and Leicester.

Although the Stephens surname is popular today, its usage is estimated to be around 0.04% of the population in the United States and 0.01% in the U.K. As such, even though common, it is still a relatively rare surname.

Variations of the surname Stephens

The surname Stephens can have a variety of different variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.

For starters, the most common spellings of Stephens include ‘Stephens’, ‘Stephans’ and ‘Stevens’. Other variants of the surname Stephens include ‘Stevenson’, ‘Stephenson’, ‘Stephan’ and ‘Stevans’. These spellings and variants are derived from the medieval given name ‘Stephan’, derived from the Greek name ‘Stephanos’, which means ‘crown’.

The surname Stevens can have several different spellings, such as ‘Steven’, ‘Stephens’, ‘Stephenson’, ‘Stepan’, ‘Step0n’, and ‘Stavans’. In someHispanic countries, the surname Stephens evolved to be ‘Esteban’ and ‘Estefan’, due to the change in the pronunciation of Stephen and its variants.

The surname Stephen and its variants have numerous anglicised forms in European countries, including ‘Stefan’ in Sweden, ‘Steffen’ in Germany, ‘Stephane’ in France, and ‘Esteban’ in Spanish. The surname Stephens is not particularly common in other parts of the world, with instances of it being reduced to Stephan, Steven, and Stephen. However, it is still present in Western Australia, where it is pronounced as ‘Stephens’.

The patronymic form of the name Stevens is derived from the given name Stepan, with its variants being ‘Stepanov’, ‘Stepanovich’ and ‘Stepanenko’, which are commonly used in Slavic countries such as Russia and Ukraine. The Polish equivalent of this form is ‘Stefanowicz’.

The surname Stephens is also found in some Welsh families, where it is derived from the Welsh names ‘Evan’ and ‘Stephan’. In this case, the variant spelling is ‘Stephanus’.

The surname Stephens has a variety of unique spellings and surnames of origin that are indicative of its descent from the given name Stephanos. No matter what variant or spelling of Stephens is used, the roots remain the same.

Famous people with the name Stephens

• John Stephens, also known as John Legend, singer, songwriter, and actor
• Ron Stephens, former Texas State Representative
• Jeff Stephens, Australian actor
• Linda Stephens, American Supreme Court Judge
• Dave Stephens, British singer and songwriter
• Sam Stephens, American actor
• Jane Stephens, English actress
• Jess Stephens, Australian drag queen and television personality
• Craig Stephens, American basketball player
• Leona Stephens, Australian actress
• Gilbert Stephens, American film director
• Maureen Stephens, English actress
• Lisa Stephens, Canadian author
• Derek Stephens, British actor
• Alison Stephens, English television presenter
• Ian Stephens, English footballer
• Mark Stephens, American mixed martial artist
• Carolyn Stephens, American Folk Artist
• Nelson Stephens, American rapper
• Tara Stephens, American makeup artist

Other surnames

StephenStephensenStephensonStephensson