# Stephen (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/stephen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Greek |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 9,925 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,585 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 31,108 people |
| Change since 2000 | +11% (8,934 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈstiːvən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Steven |

## Etymology

From Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”). From *stegʷʰ- (“to enlace”) + -νος (-nos, suffix forming an adjective or noun) from Proto-Indo-European *-nós (suffix forming a verbal adjective from a verb stem).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Stephen in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 62% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 24% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 8.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Stephen in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

## People named Stephen

- Ninian Stephen, Australian jurist and former Governor-General (1923-2017)
- Liz Stephen, American female cross-country skier
- Adrian Stephen, British author and psychoanalyst (1883–1948)
- Susan Stephen, British actress (1931-2000)

## Similar surnames

Steffen, Stephan, Sutphin, Stefan, Steven, Stephany, Stephani, Stevens, Stephens, Stevenson, Stephenson, Steffens.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.