The Stephens surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 144,646 people carried this name — #190 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,040 people counted. That is up 4% from 138,742 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Stephens surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

From the given name Stephen + the patronymic suffix -s.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Stephens» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Stephen’.

An early record he cites: Gilbert fil. Stephani, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Stephen, Stephens, Stephenson and Stephan.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 716 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 36 births for the Stephens name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 4 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Mayo.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 12
Connacht 11
Ulster 8
Munster 5

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

41 people named Stephens live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
Geneva 10
Bern 9
Vaud 6
Valais 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 34 people named Stephens.

Most of them — 32 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Loir-et-Cher.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 32
Loir-et-Cher 1
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 24 people named Stephens live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 24

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

74 people named Stephens are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42
Finland (2026) 32

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Stephens was found among the farmers of 21 counties.

It was most frequent in Cornwall: 160 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 63. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Stephens and Stevens.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cornwall 160
South Wales 55
Sussex 51
Herefordshire 50
Gloucestershire 40
Dorset 35
Buckinghamshire 30
Kent 30

And 13 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Stephens was recorded 19 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1203rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 13. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Stephens in American newspapers,
1870–1922.

Newspaper page from The Weekly Standard carrying the name Stephens
The Weekly Standard 1870-08-31
Newspaper page from The Ogden Standard-examiner carrying the name Stephens
The Ogden Standard-examiner 1922-02-02
Newspaper page from Wilmington Journal carrying the name Stephens
Wilmington Journal 1870-09-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,760,241 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Stephens in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

214,519 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Stephens. The most, 30,713, date from the 1930s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 49,665
New South Wales 46,846
Queensland 46,630
South Australia 33,620
Tasmania 18,217
Western Australia 18,094
ACT (Canberra) 925
Northern Territory 203

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Stephens.

Who carried it

People named Stephens,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Sir Philip Stephens, 1st Baronet
    Sir Philip Stephens, 1st Baronet 1723–1809 · politician
  • William Stephens
    William Stephens 1731–1803 · businessperson
  • Elijah Stephens
    Elijah Stephens 1804–1887 · blacksmith
  • Rayner Stephens
    Rayner Stephens 1805–1879
  • John Lloyd Stephens
    John Lloyd Stephens 1805–1852 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 193 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Stephens,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States9,830 records

9,830 records of the Stephens name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 4,617
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 1,917
  • Other U.S. records 3,296
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Larry Allan Stephens

    Born 1944; from Travis Afb, California. U.S. Army, radio operator; killed in action 1969 in Laos. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dale L. Stephens

    Born 1931; from Los Angeles County, California. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William J. Stephens

    Born 1902 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Shelby; foreman from Forrest County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1968, buried at Biloxi National Cemetery, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 9,830 records for Stephens in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia5,841 records

5,841 records of the Stephens name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,745
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1,267
  • Other Australian records 1,829
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Stephens

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Fairlie, sailing from Plymouth in 1852. Native of Wellington, Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Stephens

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Runnymede, sailing from London in 1839. Native of Derbyshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Stephens

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maria Somes, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Needham, Norfolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5,841 records for Stephens in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada746 records

746 records of the Stephens name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 495
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 74
  • Other Canadian records 177
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Sarah Stephens

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Clinton, bound for Annapolis and St Johns, aged 35.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rich'd Stephens

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for St Thomas, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Wilson Stephens

    Buried in 1994 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 90.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 746 records for Stephens in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands193 records

193 records of the Stephens name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 164
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 15
  • Dutch population registers 14
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Guillaume Stephens

    Married in 1810 in Gronsveld; shoemaker.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ernest Albert Stephens

    Married in 1945 in Apeldoorn; transport worker.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elisabeth Stephens

    Died 1929 in Venlo, aged 86.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Venlo (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 193 records for Stephens in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom172 records

172 records of the Stephens name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 88
  • Welsh wills index cards 51
  • Other British records 33
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Stephens

    Buried in 1952 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 80.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Stephens

    Buried in 1814 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 38.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Joseph Stephens

    Will proved in 1930; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 172 records for Stephens in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand111 records

111 records of the Stephens name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 89
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 7
  • Other New Zealand records 15
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Annie Stephens

    Died 1972, aged 53; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Peter Stephens

    Buried in 1929 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 31.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Josephine May Stephens

    Died 1986, aged 77; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 111 records for Stephens in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland9 records

9 records of the Stephens name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridget Stephens

    Died 1993, aged 71; buried at Mountbellew, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kate Stephens

    Died 1933, aged 75; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Stephens in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Stephens name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Henry Michael Stephens

    Born 1936 in Frimley (Angleterre); died 2001 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Mona Erica Bamford Stephens

    Born 1921 in India; died 1999 in Indonésie.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Stephens in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Stephens.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Stephens.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Stephens is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Stephens volume
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