Stephen is a surname of English, Scottish, and German origin. It is a reasonably common surname. 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.
Notable people with the surname
Stephen (Australian legal family), a prominent legal dynasty, includes
Sir Alfred Stephen (1802–1894), Chief Justice of New South Wales
Sir Colin Stephen (1872–1937), lawyer and horse racing administrator
George Milner Stephen (1812–1894), Australian politician and faith healer
Harold Stephen MLA (1841–1889), Australian politician
Sir Henry Stephen (Matthew Henry Stephen 1828–1920), Puisne Judge in New South Wales James Wilberforce Stephen (1822–1881), judge of the Victorian Supreme Court Montagu Stephen MLA (1827–1872), solicitor and politician Septimus Alfred Stephen MLC (1842–1901), solicitor and politician A. G. Stephen (1862–1924), Hong Kong banker Caroline Emelia Stephen (1834–1909), British philanthropist and writer on Quakerism C. M. Stephen (1918–1984), Indian politician Elizabeth Willisson Stephen (1856-1925), American author George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, Canadian businessman, financier, philanthropist George A. Stephen (c.1922–1993), American inventor and entrepreneur Harry Lushington Stephen, judge, alderman, writer Hugh R. Stephen (1913–2002), mayor of Victoria, BC, Canada James Stephen (disambiguation), several people James Stephen (architect) (1858–1938), American architect James Stephen (British politician) (1758–1832), British abolitionist lawyer and Member of Parliament Sir James Stephen (civil servant) (1789–1859), British under-secretary for the colonies, 1836–1847 Sir James Fitzjames Stephen (1829–1894), British judge and anti-libertarian writer James Kenneth Stephen (1859–1892), English poet Jimmy Stephen (1922–2012), footballer Julia Stephen (1846–1895), English art model, wife of Leslie Leslie Stephen, English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, husband of Julia Marcus Stephen (born 1969), President of Nauru (2007–2011) Nicol Stephen, Scottish politician Ninian Stephen (1923–2017), Australian judge and Governor-General of Australia Norman Stephen (1865–1948), Scottish schoolmaster and cricketer Pamela Helen Stephen (1964–2021), English opera singer Shamar Stephen, American football player Susan Stephen, English actor W. S. E. Stephen (died c. 1973), philatelist