Stephen

• as a given name: Steven

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”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈstiːvən/ (most common Anglophone pronunciation)

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

  Rhymes: -iːvən

  Homophone: Steven

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛfən/

  Rhymes: -ɛfən

• IPA^(key): /ˈstiːfən/ (Philippine but nonstandard pronunciation)

Stephen

1. The first Christian martyr.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Acts 6:8:

     :

     And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

2. A male given name from Ancient Greek.
   • 1852 William Harrison Ainsworth, Tale of a Carpet-Bag, Ainsworth's Magazine, Vol. 21, page 17:

     I, for my part, ask any candid reader if it was not bad enough to be called Broadfoot, without having it aggravated into Stephen Broadfoot? I feel confident I will here get a tear of sympathy from all unhappy Andrews and Peters, and Aarons and Samuels, with a smile of disdainful compassion from thrice-happy Franks and Charleys and Bills.

   • 1952 Thomas Pyles, Words and Ways of American English, Random House, page 245:

     It is doubtless true that American English lacks a tradition for the pronunciation of Anthony, a name which was not often bestowed upon American males until the comparatively recent craze for supposedly swank "British" Christian names, like Stephen, Peter, Michael, etc., in this country.

   • 2000, Helen DeWitt, The Last Samurai, Miramax Books, published 2002, →ISBN, page 142:

     I thought that ideally it should be a name which could work whether he was serious and reserved or butch, a name like Stephen which could be Steve or David which could be Dave.

3. A surname originating as a patronymic.
4. A minor city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States, named after George Stephen.

• Steve, Stevie, Steenie
• Stephanie

• Kirkby Stephen

From English Stephen, from Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”).

Stephen

1. a male given name from Ancient Greek