Stephany History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Stephany

What does the name Stephany mean?

The name Stephany reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Stephany family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stephany family lived in Pembrokeshire which is derived from the Old English word Stybbanhyp, meaning the dweller by the landing place.

Early Origins of the Stephany family

The surname Stephany was first found in Pembrokeshire at Prendergast. Alternatively, the name could have derived from Stepney, which is today a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End. The place dates back to c. 1000 where is was listed as Stybbanhythe and later in the Domesday Book it was listed as Stibanhede. In this latter case, the place name meant "landing place of a man called Stybba." 1

Early History of the Stephany family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stephany research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1621, 1640, 1643, 1663, 1676 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Stephany History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stephany Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Stepney, Stepny, Stepnie and others.

Early Notables of the Stephany family

Sir John Stepney, 1st Baronet; Sir John Stepney, 3rd Baronet (1618-ca.1676), a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1643, supporter of the Royalist side in the English Civil War; and George Stepney (1663-1707), an English poet and diplomat buried in...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stephany Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stephany family to Ireland

Some of the Stephany family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stephany family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Stephany name or one of its variants: Thomas Stepney who settled in Virginia in 1610; ten years before the "Mayflower"; followed by Thomas in 1624; and Samuell in 1670; John Stepney settled in Baltimore Maryland in 1775.

The Stephany Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et vigilantia
Motto Translation: By faith and vigilance.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)