Estevez
A Spanish surname meaning “son of Esteve,” ultimately from the given name Stephen.
The #3,273 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,986 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Estevez is a Hispanic patronymic surname built from the personal name Esteve/Esteban, a regional form of Stephen. The ultimate root is Greek Stephanos, meaning “crown” or “garland,” which passed through Latin and into Romance languages. In Spanish surname formation, the ending -ez commonly means “son of,” so the name originally signaled descent from a man named Esteve or Esteban.
History
The surname is found in Spanish-speaking areas and also in communities shaped by Spanish and Catalan migration. It is especially familiar in Iberian and Latin American contexts, where patronymic surnames of the -ez type are very common. The spelling Estevez may also reflect the use of z for a final voiced consonant in Spanish orthography, and some families use accent-marked forms in older records or different countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same ancient name behind Estevez also gave English the surname and given name Stephen, along with countless European forms like Stéphane, Stefano, and István.