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

Stefan, 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 Stefan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stefan in America

Stefan is the 10628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stefan surname appeared 3,013 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Stefan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stefan 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 Stefan

The surname Stefan has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in countries such as Serbia, Croatia, and Bulgaria. It is derived from the Greek word "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath." The name gained popularity in the medieval period and was often given to individuals born on St. Stephen's Day or associated with the feast day.

In the 11th century, the name Stefan appeared in various historical records and documents across the Balkan region. One notable example is the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, which mentions Stefan Vojislav, the ruler of the medieval Serbian state of Duklja, in the early 11th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Stefan can be traced back to the 13th century in regions like Serbia and Croatia. During this time, the name was often associated with places or villages, such as Stefan Selo (Stefan's Village) or Stefan Voda (Stefan's River).

In the 14th century, the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan (1308-1355) took the surname Stefan and established the Serbian Empire, which stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea. His reign marked a significant period in Serbian history, and the name Stefan became closely associated with the Serbian royal dynasty.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Stefan was Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), the Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504), who is celebrated as a national hero in Moldova and Romania for his military victories against the Ottoman Empire.

In the 16th century, the name Stefan gained prominence in Russia, where it was adopted by the Romanov dynasty. Tsar Stefan Fyodorovich Romanov (1557-1605) was the last Tsar of the Rurik dynasty, and his daughter, Tsarevna Ksenya Borisovna, married into the Romanov family, paving the way for their ascension to the throne.

Other famous individuals with the surname Stefan include Stefan Dimitrov (1935-2008), a Bulgarian actor renowned for his roles in numerous films and theater productions, and Stefan Stambolov (1854-1895), a prominent Bulgarian statesman and revolutionary who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria in the late 19th century.

The surname Stefan has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Stefanov, Stefanovic, Stefanovski, and Stefanescu, reflecting the diverse regional influences and linguistic variations across Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stefan

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

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 Stefan 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 Stefan 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 Stefan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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