# Stephenson (surname)

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

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 47,641 |
| US rank (2010) | 733 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 6,481 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.1% (46,662 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Stephen + -son.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Stephenson 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) | 80% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Stephenson in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Stephenson

- Neal Stephenson, American science fiction writer (born 1959)
- Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, American Wikipedia editor, focused on closing its gender gap; Knight of Serbia
- Lance Stephenson, American basketball player (born 1990)
- James Stephenson, British-American actor (1889-1941)
- John Stephenson, American actor (1923–2015)
- Marjory Stephenson, British biochemist (1885–1948)
- Frank Stephenson, American automobile designer
- Bob Stephenson, American actor, screenwriter and producer
- Michael Stephenson, American actor and director
- Isaac Stephenson, American politician (1829-1918)
- Nicola Stephenson, British actress
- Karen Moras, Australian swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist, former world record-holder

## Similar surnames

Stevenson, Steffensen, Stevens, Stephens, Stephen, Stephan, Steffens, Steven, Stepney, Stepanek, Stephany, Stepanian.

## 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.