Steffan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Italy

The German name Steffan, 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 Steffan family

The surname Steffan 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 Steffan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steffan 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 Steffan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steffan Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Steffan include Steffens, Stefens, Steven, Stefan, Steffan, Steffe, Steffen, Stephan, Stoffen, Steffl, Steffensen, Stephansen, Stilfens, Stilphen, Stilphens and many more.

Early Notables of the Steffan family

Notable figures of the time with the name Steffan 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 Steffan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steffan Ranking

In the United States, the name Steffan is the 13,157^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Steffan migration to the United States +

The state of Prussia was a great influence on the shape of modern Germany. After the Second World War, Prussia's land was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany and the state was abolished. Some Prussians remained in those countries after the war, while many others migrated to North America in search of a new start. Philadelphia was their primary point of entry to the United States, after which many of them moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. A large number of Prussians also migrated to Ontario and the prairie provinces as United Empire Loyalists. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Steffans to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Steffan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Steffan, who landed in America in 1737 2
Wendel Steffan, who arrived in America in 1737 2
Johan Philip Steffan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
Adam Steffan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 2
Philip Steffan, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Steffan (post 1700) +

Dan Steffan, American cartoonist and writer
Heinz Dieterich Steffan (b. 1943), German sociologist and a political analyst residing in Mexico
Benjamin Steffan (b. 1996), German ice dancer who with his skating partner, Jennifer Janse van Rensburg, they are the 2020 Santa Claus Cup champion, the 2021 Egna Dance Trophy silver medalist, the 2022 Bavarian Open champion, and the 2022 German national champions
Antonio Cuéllar Steffan (b. 1968), Mexican politician and lawyer affiliated with the PVEM, currently serves as Deputy of the LXII Legislature of the Mexican Congress representing Aguascalientes
Johann Gottfried Steffan (1815-1905), Swiss landscape artist, one of the most important Swiss landscapists of the 19th century.
Joseph Anton Steffan (d. 1726), Bohemian classical era composer and harpsichordist
Manon Steffan Ros (b. 1983), Welsh novelist, playwright, games author, scriptwriter and musician; she is the author of over twenty children's books and three novels for adults, all in Welsh, her award-winning novel Blasu has been translated (by the author) into English, under the title of The Seasoning

Historic Events for the Steffan family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Joseph Philip Steffan, American Boatswain's Mate Second Class from Illinois, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 3

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html