Stephan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The German name Stephan, was formed from the given name Steffen, which comes from the Greek "Stephanos," meaning "crown." Versions of this name are numerous throughout Christian Europe due to the martyr St. Steven.

Early Origins of the Stephan family

The surname Stephan was first found in Prussia, where the name gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging feudal society that would shape Europe. It later became more prominent as many branches of the house migrated and acquired foreign estates, some in such distant lands as Utrecht in Holland. Members of this family constantly improved their social status through their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Stephan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stephan research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1616, 1773, 1811, 1832, 1842, 1845 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Stephan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stephan Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Stephan include Steffens, Stefens, Steven, Stefan, Steffan, Steffe, Steffen, Stephan, Stoffen, Steffl, Steffensen, Stephansen, Stilfens, Stilphen, Stilphens and many more.

Early Notables of the Stephan family

Notable figures of the time with the name Stephan were Johann Steffens (1560-1616), a German composer, who wrote German madrigals and dance-songs, as well as sacred and instrumental pieces. Also notable was Henrik Steffens (1773-1845), a German author-philosopher of Norwegian extraction, who moved to Germany after his controversial...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stephan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stephan Ranking

In the United States, the name Stephan is the 6,514^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Stephan is ranked the 560^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,301 people with that name. [2]

Stephan migration to the United States +

Since medieval times, the state of Prussia has played an important part in the history of Germany. The state's military powers were historically very strong, and endured until after the Second World War, when the territory was broken up and divided between the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. A spurt of migration followed, with some Prussians going elsewhere in Europe and many others crossing the ocean to North America. Most entered the United States through Philadelphia. Some remained there, while more moved on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Others traveled to Canada and settled Ontario and the prairie provinces. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Stephan or a variant listed above:

Stephan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ulrich Stephan, who landed in America in 1710 [3]
Philip Stephan, who landed in America in 1737 [3]
Susann Stephan, who arrived in Carolina in 1738 [3]
Jacob Stephan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 [3]
Ubrick Stephan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stephan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Chrestian Stephan, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1828 [3]
Miss Stephan, who arrived in Brazil in 1828 [3]
Andreas Stephan, who landed in Ohio in 1835 [3]
Martin Stephan, who landed in America in 1838 [3]
Fr Heinr Stephan, who landed in America in 1839 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Stephan (post 1700) +

Robert Taft Stephan (1933-2023), American attorney, 39th Kansas Attorney General (1979-1995)
Doug Stephan, American radio talk show personality
Theodore M. Stephan, American politician, U.S. Consul in Annaberg, 1897; U.S. Vice & Deputy Consul in Bremen, 1898-99 [4]
Maryland Stephan, American politician, Mayor of Berkley, Michigan, 2008 [4]
Louis C. Stephan, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 18th District, 1935 [4]
George Stephan (1862-1944), American politician, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, 1924-29 [4]
Frederick Stephan, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 1st District, 1866 [4]
Frank L. Stephan, American Republican politician, Idaho State Attorney General, 1927-29 [4]
Evart P. Stephan, American Republican politician, Mayor of Holland, Michigan, 1921-22 [4]
Charles H. Stephan, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Vladivostok, 1922; Harbin, 1924; Dairen, 1926; Seoul, 1929-32; Nagoya, 1938; U.S. Consul in Fort William, 1949; Port Arthur, 1949 [4]
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html