Steffen
A Germanic patronymic surname meaning “son of Steffen,” with Steffen itself being a short form of Stephen/Stefan.
The #3,144 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,861 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Steffen is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Steffen, a familiar Germanic form of Stephen or Stefan. The deeper root goes back to Greek Stephanos, meaning “crown” or “garland,” a name widely spread through Christian usage. In surname use, Steffen therefore originally identified someone as the son or descendant of a man named Steffen.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and also appears in Dutch and Scandinavian naming traditions as a surname derived from Stephen/Stefan forms. Historical surname writers regularly grouped Steffen with related forms such as Steffens and Steven, showing it as part of a broad family of patronymics built from the same given name. In modern usage it is especially associated with German and German-American families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The personal name behind Steffen ultimately comes from a Greek word for “crown,” which is why Stephen-related names have a long Christian history.
From the historical record
“Stantial, Stanyan, Starenburg ; Starratt, Star- RETT, and Sterrett ; St. Barbe, Stears, Stebbins, Steeker, Steen, Steffen, Steiltz, Steimbe, Steimle, Steinbacher, Steinbroy, Steiner, Stemant, Stemler and Stimler, Stengel, Sterciie, Sternburg, Stern- feld, Stetburger, Steugel, Steuterman, Stintion, Stitt, Stoddard…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)