Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
BTN now provides Audio for the name's real contextuality. It is contrastable to the "V" variant.
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I see that this name became very popular from the 1940s to the 1990s and then started to become less popular since then. It's a shame because it's such a nice name in my opinion.
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I love the name Stephen. It is strong and timeless, and it ages flawlessly.
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Stephen Gary Wozniak (1950-) was the co-founder of Apple, Inc. And is considered a pioneer in modern computer engineering for his work with the company developing the first Apple home computers, as well as the Apple Macintosh concepts.
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Stephen “Steve” Douglas Kerr is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association.
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Stephen Joseph Malkmus (born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and as a solo artist.
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Stephen Patrick Mackey (10 November 1966 – 2 March 2023) was an English musician and record producer best known as the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Pulp, which he joined in 1989.
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Stephen is a handsome, classic name.
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I am also Stephen, after a closer look at how my name is phonetically put together, I like pronouncing it Stē • fen. With the first "e" as a long "e" and the "ph" pronounced like an "f." So I'm introducing myself as (stee•fen) and I like it, it makes more sense to me, how it is written! I love that the name is Biblical and nine or ten Pope's and a King of England, not bad!;)
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Stephen Kehinde Amos, known as Stephen K. Amos is a British stand-up comedian and television personality of Nigerian descent. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows. He began his career as a compere at the Big Fish comedy clubs in South London, and has been nominated for Chortle's Best Compere Award three times in 2004, 2007 and 2008.
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Stephen is a strong name and reminds me of St Stephen. :) I prefer this spelling to Steven as it’s far more classic. Also, this name IS traditionally pronounced STEE-ven in English - that’s why people started spelling it Steven (seemed more phonetical). Great name overall and I hope it makes a comeback!
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I love this spelling of Stephen because it's a classic and cool name. :)
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Too dated and far too common.
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This is my favorite name. I prefer it STEF-IN, if you're going to do STEEV-IN just go with Steven. ALSO MY LITTLE SIS THINKS IT'S SHORT FOR STEPHANIE:( :( :(
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I used to like this name until I saw Stephan, then I started to forget about Stephen.
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Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin (1962-2006) is a wildlife conservationist from Australia. Very sadly, he died in a stingray accident. I hope his legacy continues to spread.
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Looks nicer than Steven I suppose.
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Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. (1942-2018).
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This is pronounced the exact same way as Steven.
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I have always said it as STEEV-en instead of STEF-en. You guys have to keep in mind Stephen is a BIBLICAL name. Biblical names were not meant to be in English so there are so many unusual pronunciations. Look at Thomas. I have never met someone who said it as THOM-as. It has always been TOM-es.
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Stephen Paddock, a mass murderer who killed people in Nevada is a famous bearer.
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This is the spelling I've always preferred, as opposed to the "v" spelling. I've always liked this name, it sounds very strong and masculine.
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Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends character Stephen is an old engine who lives at Ulfstead Castle. He is based off George Stephenson’s Rocket, one of the first ever steam locomotives!
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I think it works for men of all ages.
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RIP Stephen Hillenburg 1961-2018. He Was The Creator Of SpongeBob.
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My name is Stephen. I was named by my grandma and I love the name and also Stephen means a crown and is a biological name. The first person named Stephen in the Bible who was stoned to death because he was the first prophet to minister gospel in Bible, they stoned him to death and he also apologized to God to forgive them for they don't know what they are doing and it is my name and it still remains my name.
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I am a Stephen. I was named after my great uncle who was an Irish Catholic Priest. Both my first name and last name confuse most people when they hear them. The conversation goes like this:
Nurse - Can I get your first and last name, please
ME - Stephen Toomey
Nurse - Steven?
Me - No Stephen with a PH and my last name is T as in Tom OO M as in Mary EY
Nurse - Thank you
I get Stefan, Steven, Steffen Toomi, Tumi, Tooney...IT'S CRAZY.
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Nurse - Can I get your first and last name, please
ME - Stephen Toomey
Nurse - Steven?
Me - No Stephen with a PH and my last name is T as in Tom OO M as in Mary EY
Nurse - Thank you
I get Stefan, Steven, Steffen Toomi, Tumi, Tooney...IT'S CRAZY.
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I don’t like it with STEEV. I prefer STEF.
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I'll pronounce it as STEE-vən over STEHF-ən.
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My father is a Stephen. He was born in 1962. His nickname is Steve. His name is pronounced the same as “Steven”. We live in Australia, (VIC)
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My version is spelled Stephen, but it's been hard for me because my pronunciation is STEHF-ən and people rarely get it right or even ask first. If they get it wrong and I correct them and they don't apologize, I get offended. People have used the other pronunciation on me for a long time at schools and jobs, but my family and close friends have always called me either Steve or Stevie.
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Despite the conservative phonetics of the name, in my experience bearing it I have been addressed by both pronunciations as featured in the text key models which common society has gone by in the 20th Century. It is to me a mixed message that this spelling and the "Steven" spelling are the same name. They are distinctively spelled and in some cases regarded as similar/related names. In the "Think Baby Names" site "Steven" is regarded as a variant of this name but when you look up the name "Steffen" it states it is the repelling of this name. Perhaps as the unsung usage.
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In 2018, 58 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Stephen who is registered male with the Social Security Administration. It is the 51st most common male first name for living U.S. citizens.
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If you want it to be pronounced as Stefan I would just spell it that way so people wont have to assume how it's pronounced. I had a classmate named Stephen, but he pronounced it like Ste-Fawn.
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There are two people in my family that were born with the same first name, as my parents were not well educated in names, my parents named my first brother (Steve) then I was the second son and they named me (Stephan) and my parents never figured out that the names (Steve and Stephan) are the same name so last year I decided to change my first name for reasons of that my brother was using my name for his personal purpose and now I am glad that I changed my name.
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Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He is a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
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Stephen McDannell Hillenburg is an American cartoonist, animator, director, producer, and writer. A former marine-biology teacher, he created SpongeBob SquarePants, which has gone on to become one of the longest-running American television series as well as the highest-rated show ever to air on Nickelodeon.
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I'll speak on this because I have dealt with this confusion my whole life. I've been called "Steven" by Anglo-Canadians and Americans, while non-native English speaking or French-Canadians pronounce my name "Stefan". My name is spelt "Stephen" and pronounced "Stephen" with the long FFF sound as in photo or philosophy. My mom was Swiss German, and in German, the first E is a short sound, and they spell and say the name Ste-FF-an. The Greek name Stephanos, from which Stephen was derived, has a long EEE sound, and is pronounced "St-EE-f-anos" like steeped tea. Apparently this was difficult for English speakers to pronounce, so the V sound was adopted in English. I think the issue here is that the Anglo world dominates media, and is often assumed the norm. In the rest of the world, besides Anglo countries like Britain and America, Stephen is pronounced in a huge array of ways. Germanic ways with the long FFF, or with a P like in Czech or Armenian "Stepan", or like the ancient Greek origins with a hard EEE, which might be followed with an F, T or V sound, like EEE-stvan in Hungary, which is spelt Istvan. Non-native English speakers usually call me Stephan. The shocking thing to me is that many websites I view claim the ancient or "biblical" pronunciation was the very anglo sounding "Steven" which I just don't believe to be true. Why would mainland Europe continue to say "SteFF-an" or "Ste-Pan" or "StEEE-fan" and why would the spelling be as such? And consider all the related names like Stephanie and Stephano. And considering that in "biblical" and ancient times, English pronunciation was basically non-existent.
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Stephen J. Bisciotti is the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He founded a family of technical staffing companies known as Allegis Group, which owns Aerotek and TEKsystems.
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Actually, Steve Carell's full name is Steven (Steven John Carell), not Stephen.
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I love this name. I think it suits a young boy as well as a grown man. I prefer this spelling to Steven because I do not like the nickname "Steve" and I think by naming your son "Stephen", people would understand you intended to not use the nickname. I think it sounds like a sophisticated businessman.
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Stephen Sondheim is one of the America’s most influential theater composers and lyricists.
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Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange is a character in Marvel comics and adaptations who is at times affiliated with various version of the Avengers in addition to the Defenders and the Midnight Sons. In the 2016 Marvel Cinematic Universe film, 'Doctor Strange', he is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch.
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Derek Stephen Prince (born February 5, 1969 in Inglewood, California) is an American voice actor who is most memorable for his various roles in the 'Digimon' series, as well as the voice of Elgar in the live-action 'Power Rangers Turbo' and 'Power Rangers in Space'.
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Wonderful, strong, sophisticated name. WAY better than "Steven".
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Stephen Curry is a notable user of this name. He just won MVP of the NBA.
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This is a great, strong name! Besides being Biblical, it ages well and is unique these days. I prefer Stephen spelling. Steve can still be spelled this way regardless of which spelling you use. It's also my Dad's name!
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Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, deserves a mention.
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It's my name and the phonetics of the first E & PH differ from the female Stephanie read as it looks. The male first E is Long and the PH carries F's second pronunciation, contained in the word OF said "uV" Where it gets its "STEEV-en" pronunciation. Men using it properly have often been "heckled" with the improper pronunciation "STEF-en" which is meant for "STEFAN" If you are a man named STEPHEN and need comfort from the hecklings of "STEF-en" I run a Facebook Group called "My name is Stephen NOT Steffan You Moron!" Come and Join us to share your experience and any thoughts you may have or what ever you feel like. Copy and paste this link in the address bar - https://www.facebook.com/groups/59886615840/
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I love this name! The fact that it only has a 65% approval rating saddens me (especially when Jayden and Julian are far higher). It makes me question the credibility of the users here.
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Dr. Stephen Maturin is a main character in Patrick O'Brien's "Aubrey and Maturin" books (semi-classic, much-neglected historical adventure series set in the Napoleanic Wars). He's an Irish/Catalan physician, naturalist, and secret agent (for the British, though he wasn't always), usually ship's surgeon "under" Captain Jack Aubrey. I put "under" in quotation marks because they're best friends and both equally ingenius and B.A., though in completely different areas.
They made a movie of the books, called Master and Commander. I haven't seen all of it, but it's left out some of his cunning and his ingenious snarkery, and the whole fact of his being a secret agent. So for people who hadn't read the books, it probably wasn't half so funny to see him brought to a standstill by Jack's pun, because they haven't seen how rare it really is for Stephen Maturin to be be "brought by the lee" (a phrase from the books used to mean "bewildered" - it comes from some nautical thing or other, which I couldn't for the life of me comprehend).
So, in short, I like the name Stephen. I really, REALLY like the name Stephen.
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They made a movie of the books, called Master and Commander. I haven't seen all of it, but it's left out some of his cunning and his ingenious snarkery, and the whole fact of his being a secret agent. So for people who hadn't read the books, it probably wasn't half so funny to see him brought to a standstill by Jack's pun, because they haven't seen how rare it really is for Stephen Maturin to be be "brought by the lee" (a phrase from the books used to mean "bewildered" - it comes from some nautical thing or other, which I couldn't for the life of me comprehend).
So, in short, I like the name Stephen. I really, REALLY like the name Stephen.
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I like this spelling for the name. This spelling is the correct spelling, in that it is the way the saint's name is spelt. If you are concerned with spelling it phonetically, then the same letter shouldn't be used to represent the two different vowel sounds in it, should it.
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Well, it is my name after all and I think a good alternate edition of the name is "STEVERINO" coming from the short of the name "STEVE"
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Stephen Lawrence "STEVE" Winwood. Gave us songs like "Gimme Some Lovin'!" "Low Spark of High Healed Boys" "While You See A Chance" "Valerie" "The Finer Things" "Back In The High Life Again!" "Higher Love" and "Roll With It".
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The Feast of St Stephen is December 26th. The feast day is featured in the Christmas song "Good King Wenceslas" in the lyrics "Good King Wenceslas went out/On the Feast of Stephen/When the snow lay round about/Deep and crisp and even."
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There are so many people heckling Ye old name of Stephen. They wonder why it's pronounced Steven. True it is an "f" PH is always "f" Just not a hard "F" the "f" of "ph" in Stephen is called a Passive "f" like in the two letter preposition 'OF' pronounced "uV" That is why it IS pronounced Steven. The reason more people prefer the one with a "ph" is due to it's aesthetic look. So why do people still have to go on to say it's STEH-FEN? Uggh I seriously need to write the book!
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I would like to see the day when they remove the distorted version of the name STEF-en. It's NOT an American name but a Gaelic influenced English name "ph" is a Gaelic "V" sound. I get severely offended when I've been called STEF-en. I would appreciate from the world To address Me as STEE-VEN!
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I wonder if my last name STEPHENS is a subset of STEPHEN as it is not listed in the site here.
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Stephen Bautista is a really good Christian musician.
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Stephen Breyer is a Supreme Court Justice.
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Stephen Hart is a character from the British scifi series Primeval. He is portrayed by James Murray.
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I like Steven better, but Stephen sounds more classic.
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Stephen van Haestregt was the drummer of Within Temptation.
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I was reared being called "Stee-vin" but due to the two consonants of "ph" separates the vowel relationship and compel people to say "Ste'ffin". This can be a difficult name to have due to if you say it one way or another they would want to spell it how it sounds. I usually go by the general short name "Steve" for Stephen.
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"Stephen" is a song by KeSha.
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I much prefer this spelling to Steven. I'm not sure why.
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The current [Pre-election 2011, anyways] prime minister of Canada and leader of the conservative party is Stephen Joseph Harper.
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British actor, writer, journalist, film director Stephen Fry (1957-) is also a very famous bearer of the name.
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I honestly feel this spelling should be pronounced "STEF-en". It doesn't look like it should be pronounced "STEEV-en".
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Stephen Kumalo is the name of the protagonist in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.
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Stephen Baldwin is a Christian actor and one of the famous "Baldwin brothers" of Hollywood.
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"Hey Stephen, I know looks can be deceiving, but I know I saw a light in you"
"Hey Stephen" is the amazing song written and sung by Taylor Swift.
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"Hey Stephen" is the amazing song written and sung by Taylor Swift.
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Stephen is the name of the hero in a great book called The Sound Of one Hand Clapping by Fay Doxford. In the book, Stephen is a musician and a rock and roll legend! Stephen is a great name!
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The Greek word from which the name originates is really STEFANI which means "wreath." It represents the halo or light wreath that surrounds a saint's head. In Greek that halo is called FOTO-STEFANO which means "light wreath."
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The Greek word from which the name originates is really Óôåöáíé ÓÔÅÖÁÍÉ which means "wreath." It represents the halo or light wreath that surrounds a saint's head. In Greek that halo is called Öùôï-óôåöáíï which means "light wreath."
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I don't like the spelling of this name. If you want to pronounce it STEEV-ən, then it should be spelled Steven. If you want to pronounce it STEF-ən, then it should be spelled Stefan.
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Character in Vampire Diaries.
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Stephen Špaček, an actor, born 2nd March 1971, Dallas, Texas.
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My brothers' name is Stephen and I like it! It IS pronounced Ste-ven if anyone asks. I like this spelling better because that's how it is in the bible and this spelling reminds me of a smart doctor, or an author. The spelling Steven reminds me of a silly boy that picks his nose or something! :-)
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On June 5, 1981, the birth of the world's first test tube twins is recorded in Melbourne, Australia. Stephen (5 lb 3 oz) and Amanda (5 lb, 6 oz) are delivered in a caesarian section by Mrs. Radmila Mays.
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Stephen Christian is the lead singer of the band Anberlin.
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The secret is in the length of the first e. In Greek, the ph combination makes an f sound, as in telephone, Phoebe etc. But when the first syllable of Stephen has a long eee sound, this affects the f and it becomes a v; not in spelling originally, but in sound. English-speaking people have for centuries found this easier to pronounce.
In German, the first e is a short sound, and they spell and say the name: STEFF-an. (SHTEFF-an, actually.) Same for girls - think Steffi Graf.
In the 20th century people started using Steven instead of Stephen because that sounded like what they said anyway. No problem there. Stephen is the more traditional form, and Steven the more modern. They are pronounced the same.
Stephanie has always had a short e sound in the first syllable, which is why nobody ever says STEV-a-nee, so the spelling has never changed.
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In German, the first e is a short sound, and they spell and say the name: STEFF-an. (SHTEFF-an, actually.) Same for girls - think Steffi Graf.
In the 20th century people started using Steven instead of Stephen because that sounded like what they said anyway. No problem there. Stephen is the more traditional form, and Steven the more modern. They are pronounced the same.
Stephanie has always had a short e sound in the first syllable, which is why nobody ever says STEV-a-nee, so the spelling has never changed.
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Whoa, Anneza hit the nail on the hammer about the pronunciation thing. Thanks for that! =)
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If Stephen can be pronounced like Steven, then Stephanie should be pronounced "Steev-en-ee".
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When I hear this name I think of a young king with curly blonde hair.
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I prefer Stephen spelled this way because it's the classic spelling and Stephen is a classic name. This name makes me think of a professor or lawyer or doctor. Steven makes me think of Stevie Nicks or Steve Martin or Stevie Wonder.
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I think it can be pronounced both ways. By the way, I think Stephen is a nice name in it's own way. It's nothing like "oh don't name your child this." Come on, everyone! Also: it is interesting that its meaning is Greek for "crown" and the writer Stephen King has the last name King relating to a crown! Didn't anyone notice that or am I just being kinda smart here? ;)
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Is this name pronounced ste-fen or ste-ven?
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There is an author named Stephen Woodworth.
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Stephen Hawking might be the smartest man in the universe.
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Don't name your kid Stephen. My dad's name is Stephen, three of my relatives are named Stephen. I know at least nine Stephens (with different spellings granted). It's way too common. Name your kid something not many people have.
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Way too overused for me, I know a lot of guys named Stephen/Steven. I prefer the spelling Steven though.
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A famous bearer is Stephen Lynch, a comedian and broadway actor.
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Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report, and Steve Carrell.
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The musical theater composers Stephen Schwartz and Stephen Sondheim have this name.
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Famous bearers include actor Stephen Fry and writer Stephen King.
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Stephen is a cool guy.
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Stephen is well known for being a jester. Although not well known by the ladies, gets on exceptionally well with other men as is very capable of making them laugh. Their future leads to loneliness.
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In Greek STEPHEN does not mean crown. It means garland or hoop.
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Stephen means crown, in that the crowns given as prizes to athletes in ancient Greece were garlands of laurel leaves. So you can see that "crown" and "garland" are synonyms in this sense.
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