Stephen, Steven (both /ˈstiːvən/), Stefan ( [ˈʃtɛfan]) or Esteban ([esˈteβan]) are first names derived from the Greek first name Στέφανος (Stéphanos), in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece, a wreath was given to the winner of a contest (from which the crown, symbol of rulers derived). The use of the noun was first recorded in Homer's Iliad. The name is significant to Christians, since it belonged to an early saint, according to the Book of Acts in the New Testament, the Greek-speaking Stéphanos, rendered as "Stephen" in English translations, was a deacon who was stoned to death and is regarded as the first martyr, in Greek "protomartyr", of the Christian Church.
In Middle English, the name Stephen or Stephan was pronounced as a bi-syllabic word — Step-hen or Step-han — much like a Scandinavian surname. Steven was pronounced as it is in Modern English. This etymological usage began a decline in the mid-19th century. The name has many variants, which include Stephan, Stevan, Stefan and Stevon. Steve is the common short form, while various diminutives such as Stevie and Ste are also used. The female version of the name is Stephanie. Many family names are derived from Stephen: the most common are Stephens/Stevens and Stephenson/Stevenson (others include Stephen, Stephan, Staphan, Stefan, Stevin and Stever).
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. 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.
Estaballah (Malayalam)Esteban (Spanish, Filipino, Basque)Estepan, Estebe, Extiban, Ixtebe (Basque)Estevan (old Spanish)Estêvão (Portuguese)Esteve (Catalan)Estevo (Galician)Étienne ("Estienne" is an archaic spelling), Stéphane, Stefane, Stephanne (French)Êtiên (Vietnamese)İstefanos, Stefan (Turkish)İstfan, Stepan (Azeri)István (Hungarian)Kepano, Kiwini (Hawaiian)Stefan, Shtjefën, Fan, Sven (Albanian language)Sitiveni (Tongan, Fijian)Staffan, Stefan (Swedish)Steafán, Stíofán, Stiofán (Irish)Stefán (Icelandic)Stefano (Esperanto)Stefano (Italian)Ștefan, with the diminutives Ștefănel, Ștefăniță, Ștefănuț (Romanian)Štefan (Slovak)Štefan (Slovene)Stefan, Stefaan, Stefanus, Steven, Stephan (Afrikaans, Dutch)Stefan, Stephan, Steffen (German)Stefan, Szczepan (Polish)Steffan, Stifyn, Stîfyn (Welsh)Steffen (Norwegian)Steffen, Stephen, Stefan, Stephan (Danish)Štěpán (Czech)Stefanus, Stephanus (Latin)Stepans, Stepons (Latvian)Steponas, Stepas (Lithuanian)Stefan, Steven (Breton)Stiefnu (Maltese)Stìobhan, Stìophan, Stèaphan (Scottish Gaelic)Stjepan, Stipan, Stipe, Stipo, Stipa, Štef, Stevko, Stevo (Croatian)Tapani, Teppana, Teppo (Finnish)Tehvan (Estonian)Tipene (Māori)Steffen (Norwegian)Istifanous, إستفانوس, ستيف, ستيفن, اسطفان, Istifaan ستيفن, Stiifan (Arabic)استیون (Estiven; Persian)סטיבן (Stiven; Hebrew)Στέφανος (Stephanos, Stefanos, Stephanas, Stepfan, Stephano, Stephanus Greek)Степан, Стівен, Стефан (Stepan, Stiven, Stefan, Ukrainian; Стефан [Stefan] is a more western Ukrainian usage)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, Стефче/Stefche (Macedonian)Степан/Stepan, Stepa, Stepane, Stepanya, Stepka, Stipan (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian)Ычтапан/Içtapan (Tatar)Ստեփանոս, Ստեփան, (Stepʿan, Stepanos, Stepan, Stepʿani, Stepʿanicʿ, Stepʿanov Armenian)სტეფანე (Stepane, Georgian)இசுடீபன் (Estepan, Tamil)スティーブン、スティーブ、スティーヴン (Stiibun, Stiibu, Stiivun, Sutīvun, Sutībun; Japanese)斯蒂芬, 史蒂芬 (Sidifen, Shidifen; Mandarin Chinese)스티븐 (Seutibeun; Korean)સ્ટીફન (Sṭīphana; Gujarati)स्टीफन (Sṭīphana; Hindi)ಸ್ಟೀಫನ್ (Sṭīphan; Kannada)स्टीफन (Sṭīphana; Marathi)Стефен (Styefyen; Mongolian)स्टीफन (Sṭīphana; Nepali)ਸਟੀਫਨ (Saṭīphana; Punjabi)స్టీఫెన్ (Sṭīphen; Telugu)สตีเฟ่น (S̄tīfèn; Thai)اسٹیفن (Urdu)স্টিফেন (Sṭiphēn; Bengali), স্টিভেন (Sṭibhēn), স্টিভ (Sṭibh)סטעפאנוסן (Stʻpʼnwsn; Yiddish)Eapen (Malayalam)Steephan (South Indian)Steeve or Stephane and Stephanie for female (Québec)İstfan, Stepan (Azeri)Steffeni, Stefani, Stiifaat (Greenlandic)ᔅᑏᕕᓐ (Stiifin; Inuktitut)ᔅᑌᕝᐋᓐ, ᔅᑌᕚᓐ (Stefân, Stevân; East Cree)Ecen (Wolof)Etiiviuq (Yup'ik)Stefanu (Yoruba)uStefanu (Zulu)Saint Stephen (died c. 35), with the title of Protomartyr (lit. "first martyr") due to his distinct fate among the early ChristiansStephen, one of the pair of Christian saints and martyrs Socrates and StephenStephen the Younger (ca. 715–765), Byzantine iconodule martyrStephen I of Hungary (c. 965–1038), canonized in 1083Stephen of Obazine (1085–1154), Cistercian, first Abbot of Obazine Abbey, FranceStephen Harding (died 1134), English, one of the founders of the Cistercian Order; Catholic saintStephen III of Moldavia or Stephen the Great and Holy (c.1432–1504)Stephen of Armenia (died 1165), marshal, son of Leo IStephen of England or Stephen of Blois (c. 1096–1154), grandson of William the ConquerorStephen I of Hungary (c. 965–1038), Grand Prince of the Magyars, first king of HungaryStephen II of Hungary (1101–1131), elder son of King ColomanStephen III of Hungary (1147–1172), eldest son of King Geza IIStephen IV of Hungary (c.1133–1165), third son of King Béla IIStephen V of Hungary (1239–1272), elder son of King Béla IVStephen I of Moldavia (1394–1399), son of CosteaStephen II of Moldavia (died 1447), prince, son of Alexandru cel BunStephen III of Moldavia or Stephen the Great and Holy (c.1432–1504), son of Bogdan IIStephen Báthory of Poland (1533–1586), prince of Transylvania, king consort of Poland, grand duke consort of LithuaniaStephen Uroš I of Serbia (died 1277), son of Stefan NemanjićStjepan Držislav of Croatia (died 997), king 969–997Stjepan I of Croatia (died 1058), king 1030–1058Stjepan II of Croatia (died 1091), king 1089–1091, last member of the Trpimirović dynastyIvan Stephen of Bulgaria (died after 1343), tsar 1330–1331Pope Stephen I (died 257), Bishop of Rome from 254–257Pope-elect Stephen (died 752), elected Pope but died before being ordainedPope Stephen II (died 757), pope from 752–757Pope Stephen III (720–772), pope from 768–772Pope Stephen IV (died 817), pope from 816–817Pope Stephen V (died 891), pope from 885–891Pope Stephen VI (died 897), pope from 896–897Pope Stephen VII (died 931), pope from 929–931Pope Stephen VIII (died 942), German, pope from 939–942Pope Stephen IX (c. 1020–1058), pope from 1057–1058Esteban, bishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zaragoza, Spain, from 1128 to 1130Ecumenical Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople (867–893), patriarch from 886 to 893Ecumenical Patriarch Stephen II of Constantinople, from Amasea, patriarch from 925 to 928Stephanus I, Archbishop of Aquileia, Italy, c. 515Stephanus II, Patriarch of Grado, Italy, c. 670Stephanus of Byzantium, 6th century author of Ethnica, a geographical dictionaryStephanus, a pupil of Pasiteles (fl. 33 BCE) sculptor in the time of Caesar AugustusStephen Adekolu (born 1989), Canadian football playerStephen F. Austin (1793–1836), impresario who settled TexasStephen Baldwin (born 1966), American actorSteven Beitashour, Iranian footballerStephen Vincent Benét (1898–1943), American authorSteven Best (born 1955), American activist and presenterSteven Berk (born 1949), American physician and authorSteven Blane, American Jewish Universalist rabbiSteven Chambers (born 1990), Australian baseball playerStephen Chow (born 1962), Hong Kong actor, comedian and directorStephen Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), 22nd and 24th President of the United StatesStephen Cochran (born 1979), American country music singer/songwriterStephen Colbert (born 1964), American political satirist, comedian, and host of The Late Show with Stephen ColbertStephen Corry, Director of the British indigenous rights organisation Survival InternationalStephen Costello (born 1981), American opera singerStephen Crane (1871–1900), American novelist and journalistStephen Curry (basketball) (born 1988), American basketball playerSteven Dehler (born 1987), American modelStephen Dorff (born 1973), American actorSteven Duren (born 1956), American singer-songwriter also known as Blackie LawlessStephen Farrelly (aka Sheamus) (born 1978), Irish professional wrestler and actorStephen Foster (1826–1864), known as the "Father of American music"Stephen Fry (born 1957), British actor, comedian, and television presenterSteven Gerrard (born 1980), English footballerStephen Goodin (born 1988), American football playerStephen Jay Gould (1941–2002), American paleontologist/biologistStephen Victor Graham, 18th Governor of American SamoaStephen Harper (born 1959), 22nd Prime Minister of Canada (2006-2015)Stephen Hawking (born 1942), British theoretical physicistStephen Hawkins (born 1971), Australian rowerStephen Hendry (born 1969), British snooker playerSteven Herzberg (born 1957), English-born Australian cricketerStephen Kosgei Kibet (born 1986), Kenyan half marathon runnerStephen King (born 1947), American horror fiction and screenplay writerStephen Maguire (born 1981), British snooker playerStephen Malkmus (born 1966), indie rock musicianStephen Joseph McGroarty (1830–1870), Irish American soldierSteven Marković (born 1985), Australian basketball playerStephen Merchant (born 1974), British writer, director, radio presenter, and actorStephen Milligan (1948–1994), British politician and journalistStephen Campbell Moore (born 1979), British actorStephen Morris (musician) (born 1957), British drummer and musicianSteven W. Mosher (born 1948), American social scientist and authorSteven Pinker (born 1954), American cognitive scientist and popular science authorStephen Port (born 1975), British serial killerStephen Sackur (born 1964), British BBC journalistSteven Seagal (born 1952), American actorSteven Soderbergh (born 1963), American film directorSteven Spielberg (born 1946), American film directorStephen C. Spiteri (born 1963), Maltese military historianStephen Timms (born 1955), British politicianSteven Tyler (born 1948), American singer songwriter and Aerosmith frontmanStephen Wallem (born 1968), American theater/television actor and singerSteven Wright (born 1955), American comedian, actor, writer, and film producerSteven Yeun (born 1983), Korean-American actor and singerStephen, an engine based on Stephenson's Rocket in the TV series Thomas and Friends.Steven (Alice Cooper character)Stephen Dedalus, a character in the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses by James JoyceStephen Falken, a character in the film WarGamesSteven Fraser, a character in the film CyberbullySteven Hyde, a character in the TV series That '70s ShowSteven Quartz Universe, title character in the animated series Steven UniverseStephen Strange, also known as Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme in the Marvel UniverseSteven Stone, champion and final boss from the Pokémon games Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and their 3D remakes Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha SapphireStephen Wilkins, a character in the film Trick 'r TreatIn 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 8th and 10th 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.
Neither "Stephen" nor "Steven" was among top 25 most popular baby boys' names in Ireland in 2006 or 2007.
In the United States, the spelling "Stephen" reached its peak of popularity between 1949–1951, 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. The spelling "Steven" reached its peak during 1955–1961, when it was the 10th 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.
