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    The surname Stephen

    A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 9,925 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈstiːvən/ 2 syllables Soundex S315 Also a first name

    Stephen: #3,585 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Stephen #3,585, 9,925 people Stephen: #3,585 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Stephen #3,585, 9,925 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Stephen is more common than 97.8% of them.

    Origin

    Greek origin

    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).

    Stephen is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 9,925 people named Stephen in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 31,108 Americans. That is up 11% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,934.

    #3,585
    rank among US surnames
    9,925
    people in 2010
    3.4
    per 100,000 Americans
    +11.1%
    change since 2000 (was #3,655)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #3,576Ashcraft9,95731,008
    #3,578Kunz9,95331,020
    #3,579Abney9,94831,036
    #3,580Albertson9,94331,052
    #3,581Littleton9,93931,064
    #3,582Hallman9,93831,067
    #3,583Cone9,93531,077

    Who is named Stephen

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    62% of people named Stephen identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Black (not Hispanic) and 8.6% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

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

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Stephens

    4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Ninian Stephen
      Australian jurist and former Governor-General (1923-2017)
    • Liz Stephen
      American female cross-country skier, born 1987
    • Adrian Stephen
      British author and psychoanalyst (1883–1948)
    • Susan Stephen
      British actress (1931-2000)

    Notable Stephens come mostly from the United Kingdom (2), Australia (1) and the United States (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Variant spellings

    Surnames that sound like Stephen

    Stephen has the Soundex code S315, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S315.

    Other Greek surnames

    All 45 Greek surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname Stephen come from?
    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…
    How common is the surname Stephen?
    9,925 people in the United States had the surname Stephen in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 31,108 Americans. It ranked 3,585th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Stephen?
    In the 2010 Census, 62% of people named Stephen identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Stephen?
    Ninian Stephen, Australian jurist and former Governor-General (1923-2017), followed by Liz Stephen.
    Where is the surname Stephen most common?
    Wikidata records people named Stephen in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
    How do you pronounce Stephen?
    Stephen is /ˈstiːvən/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Stephen?
    Stephen is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Stephen getting more or less common?
    More common. 8,934 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,925 in 2010, up 11%.
    What are other spellings of Stephen?
    Steven.
    Is Stephen also a first name?
    Yes. Stephen is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.