Stephen is a male first name. Its origin is the Greek stephanos, meaning "crown".

Alternative forms and or spellings of the name include Steven (sti-ven) and Stephan (ste-fan, sti-van). Steve is the common short form, and various diminuitives are common.

The female version of the name is Stephanie.

Equivalents of Stephen in various languages

• Étienne, Estienne, Stéphane (French)
• Stefano (Italian)
• Estévan (Portuguese)
• Esteban (Spanish)
• Esteve (Catalan)
• Stefan, Stephan, Steffen (German)
• Stefan (Dutch)
• István (diminutives Isti and Pisti) (Hungarian)
• Stiobhan (Scots Gaelic)
• Štefan (Czech, Slovak)
• Steafán, Stiofan (Irish)
• Stefán (Icelandic)
• Stephanos, Stefanos (Greek)
• Kepano (Hawaiian)
• Sitiveni (Tongan)
• Степан, Стефан (Ukrainian)
• Степан (Russian)
• Stefan (Polish)

• "Nottke, Steve" from old druidic runes meaning - Lord of all he surveys.

Encyclopedically notable people named Stephen

Biblical

• Saint Stephen, the "protomartyr" of Christianity. (A number of other Stephens have been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.)

Royalty

• Stephen of England
• Stephen I of Hungary
• Stephen II of Hungary
• Stephen III of Hungary
• Stephen IV of Hungary

Papal names

• Stephen I, Pope
• Stephen II, Pope
• Stephen III, Pope
• Stephen IV, Pope
• Stephen V, Pope
• Stephen VI, Pope
• Stephen VII, Pope
• Stephen VIII, Pope
• Stephen IX, Pope

Contemporary

• Stephen Hawking, notable cosmologist and physicist
• Steven Jobs, Apple Computer co-founder
• Steve Wozniak, Apple computer co-founder
• Stephen Austin, colonial figure of Texas
• Stephen Spender, poet
• Steven Spielberg, American film director
• Stephen Covington, politician
• Stephen Perillo , musician
• Steven Morrissey, singer
• Steven Soderbergh, American film director
• Stephen King, author
• Steven Johnson, head of Environmental Protection Agency
• Stephen Chow, Hong Kong actor