Stephen
Meaning: Its source is Stephanos, a Greek name meaning "Crown or garland."
Origin: "Stephanos."
Languages: This boy's name is used in English.
Variant Forms: Stephens and Stephenson
Non-English Forms: Esteban, Estefan, Estevan, Etienne, Istvan, Stefan, Stephan, Stjepan, Stefano, Stefanus, Stéphane, Étienne, István and Istban
Source Forms: Stephanos
Popularity: The name Stephen ranked 107th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics, 34th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census and 58th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1994 US Census.
This name is highly rated both on the 1990 U.S. Census list and in state data recording the most popular baby names.
Narrative: In Christian scripture, Stephen was the first martyr, and the influence of this saint accounts for the popularity of both male and female variations of his name in many Western languages.
The Bible describes Stephen as a righteous and compassionate person who refused to disguise his beliefs, even though his frankness cost him his life.
Stephen was tried and condemned by the authorities. He was taken to the place where he was to be stoned, and those commissioned to do the bloody work gave their cloaks to a fellow persecutor of the Christians, Saul of Tarsus. In time, Saul the persecutor was transformed into Paul the Apostle, shaper of Christian doctrine and Christian missionary to the entire ancient world.
Arts and Music
- Stephen Albert
- 1985 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music Composition (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Music)
- Stephen Foster (born 1826, died 1864)
American popular composer and songwriter.
- Wrote ''''My Old Kentucky Home'''' and ''''Beautiful Dreamer'''' (see list of Songwriters)
- Stephen H. Sholes
- Country Music Hall of Fame (see list of Country Music Hall of Fame)
- Stephen Stills (born 1945)
American musician, singer and songwriter.
- Performer with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young at Woodstock (see list of Performers at Woodstock)
Leadership
- Stephen H. Anderson
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Tenth Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
- Stephen F. Austin (born 1793, died 1836)
Texas colonizer and patriot for whom the city of Austin is named.
- Head of government in the Texas colony, 1822-32; secretary of state for the Republic of Texas, 1836 (see list of Miscellaneous Political Leaders)
- Stephen Bechtel (born 1900, died 1989)
- American engineer (see list of Twenty innovators who changed the 20th century)
- Stephen G. Breyer
American jurist.
- U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1994- (see list of U.S. Supreme Court Justices)
- Stephen Lee Brown
- CEO of Fortune 500 company John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Stephen Decatur (born 1779, died 1820)
American naval officer.
- Naval hero of the Barbary wars and the War of 1812 (see list of Miscellaneous Military Leaders)
- Stephen A. Douglas (born 1813, died 1861)
American politician.
- Best known for a series of debates on slavery with Abraham Lincoln (see list of Miscellaneous Political Leaders)
- Stephen J. Field
American jurist.
- U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1863-97 (see list of U.S. Supreme Court Justices)
- Stephen Girard (born 1750, died 1831)
French-American financier and philanthropist.
- At the time of his death, he was the richest man in America (see list of Miscellaneous Business Leaders)
- Stephen R. Hardis
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Eaton (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Stephen C. Hilbert
- CEO of Fortune 500 company CONSECO (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Stephen Hopkins
- Signer, Declaration of Independence, Rhode Island (see list of Signers of the Declaration of Independence)
- Stephen I-X
Ten Roman Catholic popes, from Stephen I (254-257) to Stephen X (1057-1058) served under this name.
- Pope Stephen II (752) was pope for only four days before he died; Stephen III (752-757) was the first pope-king (see list of Religious Leaders)
- Stephen P. Kaufman
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Arrow Electronics (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Stephen R. Reinhardt
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Ninth Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
- Stephen W. Sanger
- CEO of Fortune 500 company General Mills (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Stephen (born 1097, died 1154)
King of England, 1135-54.
- Fought successfully against Empress Matilda of Germany, Henry I''s daughter, for the crown, but was later forced to acknowledge her son, Henry II, as king (see list of British Monarchs)
- Stephen S. Trott
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Ninth Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
- Stephen F. Williams
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, District of Columbia Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
- Stephen M. Wolf
- CEO of Fortune 500 Company US Air Group (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
Miscellaneous
- Stephen F. Austin (born 1793, died 1836)
Texas colonizer and patriot for whom the city of Austin is named.
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Stephen Crane (born 1871, died 1900)
American novelist, short-story writer and poet.
- On the cover of Sgt. Pepper''s Lonely Hearts Club Band (see list of Faces on the Cover of ''Sergeant Pepper'')
- St. Stephen the Deacon
Disciple of Jesus who was stoned to death.
- Appears in Acts (see list of Biblical Names from the New Testament)
- Stephen King (born 1947)
American novelist.
- 1999 gross earnings: $65 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1997 gross earnings: $50 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1996 gross earnings: $34 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1998 gross earnings: $40 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Stephen Leacock
English-born Canadian writer and humorist.
- Died in Toronto, Ontario (see list of Famous Canadians)
Science and Philosophy
- Stephen C. Kleene (born 1909, died 1994)
American mathematician.
- 1990 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Stephen W. Lindsey (born 1960)
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Columbia (1997) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Stephen S. Oswald (born 1951)
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Discovery (1992, 1993), Endeavor (1995) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Stephen K. Robinson (born 1955)
American astronaut and mechanical engineer.
- Astronaut on Discovery (1997) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Stephen Smale
- 1996 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
Sports
- Stephen Roche
- 1987 Tour de France champion (see list of Tour de France Winners)
Stage and Screen
- Stephen Bennett
- Portrayed by George Hamilton (see list of Characters on ''Roots'')
- Stephen J. Cannell (born 1943)
American producer and scriptwriter.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Stephen Dillane
- 1999 Best Actor in a play for his performance in The Real Thing (see list of Tony winners for Best Actor in a Play)
- Stephen Nichols (born 1951)
American actor.
- Actor on soap opera ''''General Hospital'''' (see list of Performers on ''General Hospital'')
- Stephen Schnetzer
- Actor on soap opera ''''Another World'''' (see list of Performers on ''Another World'')
- Stephen Shortridge
American actor.
- Portrayed Beau De Labarre (see list of Actors on ''Welcome Back, Kotter'')
- Stephen Sondheim (born 1930)
American composer of musical theatre.
- 1993 Kennedy Center Honors recipient (see list of Kennedy Center Honors Recipients)
The Literary World
- Stephen Vincent Benet (born 1898, died 1943)
American poet and novelist.
- Two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner for Poetry, in 1929 for John Brown''s Body and in 1944 for Western Star (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- Wrote The Devil and Daniel Webster (see list of Poets of the 20th Century)
- Stephen R. Benson
- 1993 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning)
- Stephen Bonsal (born 1865, died 1951)
American journalist and diplomat.
- 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner for History, for Unfinished Business (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for History)
- Stephen Bowie
Fictional character.
- A timber baron in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
- Stephen P. Breem
- 1998 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning)
- Stephen Crane (born 1871, died 1900)
American novelist, short-story writer and poet.
- Wrote The Red Badge of Courage (see list of Prose Writers of the Victorian Era)
- Stephen ''Digger'' Holt
Fictional character.
- Head of Castle Rock''s groundskeeping crew in Stephen King''s novel The Dark Half (see list of Characters in The Dark Half)
- Stephen King (born 1947)
American novelist.
- Wrote The Shining (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Author of the best-selling novels of 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1992 -- respectively, The Talisman, It, The Tommyknockers and Dolores Claiborne (see list of Bestselling Fiction Authors in the U.S.)
- Author of Christine, and Cujo (see list of Authors of some of the most frequently banned books between 1990-99, in the United States)
- Stephen A. Kurkjian
- 1972 and 1980 Pulitzer Prize winner for Investigative Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting)
- Stephen Sondheim (born 1930)
American composer of musical theatre.
- 1985 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, for Sunday in the Park with George (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Schteve
- Stiv
- Step Hen
- Stevie Wonder
- Stack
- Stephano DiVanobige
- Stevie Wevie
Meaning: Its source is Stephanos, a Greek name meaning "Crown or garland."
Origin: "Stephanos."
Popularity: The name Stephen ranked 2600th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it may owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
Narrative: According to Christian scripture, Stephen was the first martyr, and the influence of this saint accounts for the popularity of both male and female variations of his name in many Western languages.
The Bible describes Stephen as a righteous and compassionate person who refused to disguise his beliefs, even though his frankness cost him his life.
He was condemned to death by stoning, and the cloaks of those commissioned to do the bloody work were held by a fellow persecutor of the Christians, Saul of Tarsus.
In time, Saul became Paul the Apostle, shaper of Christian doctrine and Christian missionary to the entire ancient world.
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