Stephen

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Stefan in DE Germany, RO Romania, PL Poland and 5 more, Steven in US United States, CA Canada, IT Italy, Степан in UA Ukraine, RU Russia, KZ Kazakhstan and Stephanie in BE Belgium, AR Argentina, MX Mexico.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 18 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Stephen is also recorded as 3 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Swahili given name448K records spelled Stephen14 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, United States, Nigeria, South Africa

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Yoruba

  Also written Stefano, Stephén, Stéphen, Stéfano

• a separate given name240K records spelled Stephen3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Stephén, Stéphen

• Greek given name17K records spelled Stephen4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Greece, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa

  Also written Stiven, Στίβεν, Στιβεν

90 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Stephen is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name Stephen is of Greek origin, meaning "crown" or "garland". It is a classic and influential biblical name, associated with Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who is remembered for his great faith, courage, and forgiveness. The name suggests qualities of honor, leadership, and dignity.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Stephen originates from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stéphanos), which means "crown" or "wreath". This is often interpreted symbolically as the "crown of victory" or the martyr's crown he received in heaven.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In English, from Greek Stephanos 'crown'; first attested Stefanus 1066 DB

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• Usual English spelling of the name of the first Christian martyr (Acts 6-7), whose feast is accordingly celebrated next after Christ’s own (26 December). His name is derived from the Greek word stephanos ‘garland’, ‘crown’. Variants: Steven, Stephan. Short form: Steve. Pet form: Stevie.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, The first Christian martyr.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Stephen IVb. 770ITpope
• Stephen Craneb. 1871USAmerican novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist
• Burt Lancasterb. 1913USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1913–1994)
• Stephen Breyerb. 1938USUS Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2022
• Stephen Jay Gouldb. 1941USAmerican biologist and historian of science (1941–2002)
• Stephen Hawkingb. 1942GBBritish theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018)
• Steve Martinb. 1945USnot in their usual nameAmerican comedian, actor, musician and writer (born 1945)
• Yusuf Islamb. 1948GBnot in their usual nameBritish musician (born 1948)
• Stephen Harperb. 1959CA22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015
• Steve Irwinb. 1962AUnot in their usual nameAustralian zookeeper, conservationist and TV personality (1962-2006)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,524 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Stephen?

We estimate roughly 2.0 million people bear Stephen (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Stephen have the most bearers?

Stephen is most frequently recorded in the United Kingdom, where it is most often spelled stephen.

Where is Stephen most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Stephen is densest in Romania — about 1 in 69 people — even though United Kingdom holds more of our records for it.

How common is Stephen compared with other names?

In the United Kingdom, Stephen is the 6th most common given name of 369,273 given names recorded there.

Is Stephen a male or female name?

Stephen is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Stephen mean?

Recorded meaning: From the male personal name Stephen, ultimately from Greek Stephanos ‘crown’.