What is "stephen"

masc. proper name, from Latin Stephanus, from Greek Stephanos, from stephanos "crown, wreath, garland, chaplet; crown of victory," hence "victory, prize, honor, glory," properly "that which surrounds;" also used of the ring of spectators around a fight or the wall of a town, from stephein "to encircle, crown, wreathe, tie around," from PIE root *stebh- "post, stem; place firmly on, fasten" (see step (v.)). Exclusively a monk's name in Old English, it became common after the Conquest. Saint Stephen, stoned to death, was said to be Christianity's first martyr.

Steven or Stephen is a masculine first name, derived from the Greek name (Stéfanos), in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece, a wreath was given to the winner of a contest (from which the crown, symbol of rulers derived). The use of the noun was first recorded in Homer's Iliad. The name is significant to Christians: according to the Book of Acts in the New Testament, Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death and is regarded as the first Christian martyr. The name has many variants, which include Stephan, Stevan, Stefan and Stevon.

In Middle English, the name Stephen or Stephan was pronounced as a bi-syllabic word — Step-hen or Step-han — much like a Scandinavian surname. Steve was pronounced as it is in Modern English. This etymological usage began a decline in the mid-19th century.

Steve is the common short form, while various diminutives such as Stevie and Ste are also used. Many family names are derived from Stephen: the most common are Stephens/Stevens and Stephenson/Stevenson (others include Stephen, Stephan, Staphan, Stefan, Stevin and Stever).

The name was ranked 201 in the United States in 2009, according to the Social Security Administration. The name reached its peak popularity in 1951 but remained very common through the mid-1990s, when popularity started to decrease in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, it peaked during the 1950s and 1960s as one of the top ten male first names (ranking third in 1954) but had fallen to twentieth by 1984 and had fallen out of the top one hundred by 2002.

The female version of the name is Stephanie.

The name Stephen (/Стефан, Stjepan/Стјепан, and others), long popular among South Slavic monarchs, was used as an honorific or even as sort of a royal title by various rulers of Serbia and claimants to the Serbian throne, most notably the Nemanjić kings of Serbia and the Kotromanić kings of Bosnia.

Stephen is a surname of Scottish and German origin. It is a reasonably common surname, but is usually found as a first name. The German variant is thought to have originated from the German-speaking world as (Von) Stephan.

Stephen is the 3,845 most common surname in the USA.

MacStèaphain ( Scottish Gaelic) Stephen is a sept of the clan MacTavish. 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.

Stephen is a masculine given name.

Stephen may also refer to:

The magistros Stephen was a relative of Empress Theodora and a high-ranking courtier in the Byzantine court of the late 9th and early 10th centuries.

Stephen (born Silverlake, California), formerly known as Stephen Swartz, is an American electronic music artist, singer-songwriter, and producer based in Silverlake, California. He is known for his song " Crossfire" and his cover of Adele's song " Hello". He is also known for making a collaboration with Pell and Caleborate in the song, "In the Morning".

Stephen's debut album, Sincerely, was released on May 10, 2016.

"Stephen" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album Animal (2010). The song was written by Kesha in collaboration with David Gamson, Pebe Sebert, Oliver Leiber. It was produced by Gamson with additional production done by Leiber. The song's instrumentation was by Gamson, with the exception of the accordion, which was played by Kesha. Kesha wrote the song about a boy that she had been stalking and who had refused to call the singer.

Musically, Stephen is a dance-pop song that incorporates elements of country music. The song received some positive reviews from music critics upon its release. After the release of Animal for download, Stephen charted on the lower regions of the South Korea Gaon International Chart. A music video for the song was released on the repackaging of the singer's debut album, Animal + Cannibal.