Stephen (surname) explained

Stephen
Pronunciation:	Stee-ven
Region:	English, Scottish and German
Variant:	Stephenson, Stevens, Stephens, Fitzstephen

Stephen is a surname of English, Scottish,^[1] and German origin. It is a reasonably common surname. The German variant is thought to have originated from the German-speaking world as (Von) Stephan.

Stephen is the 3,845th most common surname in the USA.^[2]

MacStèaphain (Scottish Gaelic) Stephen is a sept of the clan MacTavish.^[3] It is believed that Stephens from North East Scotland (Morayshire, Banffshire, and Aberdeenshire) south of the Moray Firth are descended from a Viking named Tarben whose longship landed in Banffshire in the late 10th century CE. His name was Christianized to Stephen.

Notable people with the surname

• Stephen (Australian legal family), a prominent legal dynasty, includes

• Sir Alfred Stephen (1802–1894), Chief Justice of New South Wales

• Sir Colin Stephen (1872–1937), lawyer and horse racing administrator

• George Milner Stephen (1812–1894), Australian politician and faith healer

• Harold Stephen MLA (1841–1889), Australian politician

• Sir Henry Stephen (Matthew Henry Stephen 1828–1920), Puisne Judge in New South Wales

• James Wilberforce Stephen (1822–1881), judge of the Victorian Supreme Court

• Montagu Stephen MLA (1827–1872), solicitor and politician

• Septimus Alfred Stephen MLC (1842–1901), solicitor and politician
• A. G. Stephen (1862–1924), Hong Kong banker
• Caroline Emelia Stephen (1834–1909), British philanthropist and writer on Quakerism
• C. M. Stephen (1918–1984), Indian politician
• Elizabeth Willisson Stephen (1856-1925), American author
• George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, Canadian businessman, financier, philanthropist
• George A. Stephen (c.1922–1993), American inventor and entrepreneur
• Harry Lushington Stephen, judge, alderman, writer
• Hugh R. Stephen (1913–2002), mayor of Victoria, BC, Canada
• James Stephen (disambiguation), several people

• James Stephen (architect) (1858–1938), American architect

• James Stephen (British politician) (1758–1832), British abolitionist lawyer and Member of Parliament

• Sir James Stephen (civil servant) (1789–1859), British under-secretary for the colonies, 1836–1847

• Sir James Fitzjames Stephen (1829–1894), British judge and anti-libertarian writer

• James Kenneth Stephen (1859–1892), English poet
• Jimmy Stephen (1922–2012), footballer
• Julia Stephen (1846–1895), English art model, wife of Leslie
• Leslie Stephen, English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, husband of Julia
• Marcus Stephen (born 1969), President of Nauru (2007–2011)
• Nicol Stephen, Scottish politician
• Ninian Stephen (1923–2017), Australian judge and Governor-General of Australia
• Norman Stephen (1865–1948), Scottish schoolmaster and cricketer
• Pamela Helen Stephen (1964–2021), English opera singer
• Patrick John Stephen (1864–1938), Methodist minister in Sydney, Australia
• Shamar Stephen, American football player
• Susan Stephen, English actor
• W. S. E. Stephen (died c. 1973), philatelist

See also

• Stephen, given name

Notes and References

1. Book: Hanks . P . Patrick Hanks . Coates . R . McClure . P . 2016 . The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland . 4 . . Oxford . 978-0-19-879884-2 . 2547–2548 .
2. http://surnames.behindthename.com/top/search.php?extra=p&terms=Stephen&submit=Go Behind the Name: Search Results
3. Web site: Associated Family Names – (Septs) – Clan MacTavish.