Find out how popular the last name Steen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Steen.

Steen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Steen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Steen in America

Steen is the 2776th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Steen surname appeared 12,989 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Steen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Steen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Steen

The surname Steen originated in the Netherlands and northern Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch and Low German words steen or sten, meaning "stone." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a prominent stone landmark or worked as a stonemason or quarryman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Steen appears in the 13th-century Dutch manuscript "Codex Diplomaticus Neerlandicus," which mentions a person named Henricus Steen in 1275. The name is also found in various medieval records from the German states of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, often spelled as Sten or Stene.

In the 16th century, the Steen surname was well-established in the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Notable individuals from this time include Jan Steen (1626-1679), a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life.

The name also gained a foothold in England, likely through Dutch immigrants or trade connections. One of the earliest recorded examples is Thomas Steen, who was born in England in 1548 and served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Steen surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, often associated with Dutch or German settlers. One notable figure was Englebert Steen (1768-1825), a Dutch-born American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from New York.

Other historical figures bearing the Steen surname include:

1. Margrieta Steen (1567-1638), a Dutch businesswoman and one of the first female entrepreneurs in the Dutch East Indies.
2. Jan Willemsz Steen (1599-1672), a Dutch Golden Age painter and one of the leading genre painters of the Dutch Republic.
3. Frederick Steen (1789-1856), a Norwegian-American pioneer and one of the first settlers in the area now known as Stoughton, Wisconsin.
4. Ida Marie Steen (1867-1951), a Norwegian actress and theater director who was a prominent figure in the early years of the National Theatre in Oslo.
5. Willem Steen (1873-1935), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and The Hague.

The surname Steen has a rich history rooted in the medieval Netherlands and northern Germany, with connections to the Dutch Golden Age and the early settlement of the Americas. Its meaning is closely tied to the concept of stone, reflecting the diverse occupations and backgrounds of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Steen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Steen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Steen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Steen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Steen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Steen, please contact us.

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