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Steen History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Steen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
Germany
Sweden

The long and noble heritage behind the name of Steen first began in medieval Austria. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in Germany, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Steen family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Steen literally means "stone" 1 and was an occupational name for a stone cutter. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old German word stein, meaning stone. In some cases the name may be topographical in nature and derive from the fact the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or rock.

Early Origins of the Steen family

The surname Steen was first found in Austria, in the cities of Berne and Neuchatel, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in regional political struggles for power. They branched into many houses in Austria, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power.

Early History of the Steen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steen research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1796, 1809, 1810, 1820, 1838, 1863 and 1935 are included under the topic Early Steen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steen 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 Steen include Steiner, Steinert, Steinertz, Steinerth, Steinere, Stein, Steine and many more.

Early Notables of the Steen family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steen Ranking

In the United States, the name Steen is the 2,433^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Netherlands, the name Steen is ranked the 843^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,344 people with that name. 3

Steen migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Steen or a variant listed above:

Steen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hans Steen, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1638 4

Steen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elias Steen, who arrived in New York in 1709 4
Jacob Steen, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 4
Elizabeth Steen, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 4

Steen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Steen, aged 21, who arrived in Delaware in 1812 4
Robert Steen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 4
Samuel Steen, aged 7, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 4
Isabela Steen, aged 48, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 4
Isabela, Steen Jr., aged 9, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Steen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Steen, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
William Steen, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
Susannah Steen, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
Margaret Steen, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
John Steen, aged 22, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Frenchman"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Steen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Steen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Andrew Steen, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 5
Mr. Andrew Steen, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Steen (post 1700) +

Charles A. Steen (1919-2006), American geologist who made and lost a fortune after discovering a uranium in Utah
William J. Steen, American politician, Mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, 1925-29 7
Mrs. John Steen, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1964 7
Jennifer A. Steen, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1996 7
Henry Steen (b. 1858), American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 2nd District, 1915-18; Member of Minnesota State Senate 2nd District, 1927-28 7
Fred Steen, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for North Carolina, 2000 7
Curtis Steen, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1948 (alternate), 1956, 1960 7
Cassandra Steen (b. 1980), German singer, songwriter and backing vocalist
Reiulf Steen (1933-2014), Norwegian politician and diplomat, Minister of Transportation (1971-1972) and Commerce (1979-1981), MP for Oslo and Akershus (1977-1993), Ambassador to Chile (1992-1996)
David Steen (1936-2015), British photographer
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Steen family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Leo Peter Van den Steen (d. 1912), aged 28, Belgian Third Class passenger from Haaltert who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html