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

Steven, 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 Steven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Steven in America

Steven is the 11560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Steven surname appeared 2,719 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 Steven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Steven 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 Steven

The surname Steven is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English given name Stæfn, which was a shortened form of the longer name Stæfnweard, meaning "crown guard" or "protector of the crown." This name was commonly used in Anglo-Saxon England and can be traced back to the 7th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Steven can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Steuene, Steuene, and Stephene, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time.

The surname Steven was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. These areas were heavily influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture and language, which may explain the popularity of the name in those regions.

In the 13th century, a notable individual named Stephen Langton (c.1150-1228) served as the Archbishop of Canterbury and played a crucial role in the issuance of the Magna Carta in 1215. His given name, Stephen, was a variant of the surname Steven.

During the 14th century, John Steven (c.1350-1419) was a prominent English theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Oxford. He was a significant figure in the scholastic tradition and authored several works on logic and metaphysics.

In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Steven (c.1500-1560) was a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He was known for his involvement in the wool trade and his patronage of the arts and education.

In the 17th century, Samuel Steven (1624-1670) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious and theological topics. His works, such as "A Plain and Easy Exposition of the Shorter Catechism," were widely read and influential in his time.

Another notable individual with the surname Steven was Sir James Steven (1712-1786), a Scottish architect and designer who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence and significance of the surname Steven in various regions of England and Scotland throughout history, with individuals from different professions and backgrounds bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Steven

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

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

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

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