Étienne
A French surname from the given name Étienne, the French form of Stephen.
The #4,510 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,246 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Étienne comes from the French personal name Étienne, the equivalent of Stephen. The name goes back through Latin Stephanus to Greek Stephanos, meaning “crown” or “garland.” As a surname, it usually began as a patronymic or family-name form identifying someone as “Étienne’s” descendant or household member.
History
The surname is most at home in French-speaking regions, especially France and areas shaped by French settlement or migration. Historical surname books also note shortened or altered forms of Étienne in regional French usage, which could produce related spellings and local variants. In English records, the name often appears in immigrant or French-connected families rather than as an inherited native English surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The personal name behind Étienne ultimately means “crown,” which is why Stephen became such a durable Christian name across Europe.
From the historical record
“Battell Abbey, and Huges de Rozel . occurs as one of the benefactors of the abbey of St. Etienne at Caen, founded by William the Conqueror. Rozel, a tenant in chief in D.B. j Rust. A.S. Roswith (?) (greatly”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)