Surname Stefanus - Meaning and Origin
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Stefanus: What does the surname Stefanus mean?
The surname Stefanus is a Latin derivative of the Greek name Stephanos, which in turn derives from the Hebrew word Stephan, meaning "crown."
This surname first appeared in England, France, and Germany as early as the 13th century, and is an extremely common surname in Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, where the Stefanus family is believed to have originated. It was later adopted by families in other parts of the world, including the Americas, during the Great Migration of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The surname Stefanus could be adopted to denote the bearer's seniority or an honourable position, or simply as an indication of their paternal line. It is also likely that many people chose the surname Stefanus for its religious connotations; as a representation of the Crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head during his Crucifixion.
Stefanus is also a common given name in the Christian tradition, and is often used to honour men of great faith. Jacobus Johannes Stephanus, for example, was a Dutch evangelical minister who wrote a book on preaching, and Andrea Stafano Robles, a Franciscan priest and an early supporter of the Jesuit mission in Latin America.
In modern times, Stefanus continues to be a widely used surname, and is often spelled in various ways including Stefano, Stepanov, and Stepan. It remains a symbol of faith, service, trustworthiness and leadership, and many people proudly opt to carry this legacy on to the next generation.
Order DNA origin analysisStefanus: Where does the name Stefanus come from?
The name Stefanus is of Latin origin and is derived from the word meaning ‘crown’. The name is a form of the name Stephen. Stefanus is still quite common today, typically found in East and Central European countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The name is also commonly seen in other parts of Eastern and Central Europe such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.
Outside of Europe, Stefanus is extremely rare in the English-speaking world and can only be found in small pockets of places with large immigrant populations such as Canada, the United States and Australia.
In the United States, the name Stefanus is particularly popular amongst Roman Catholic immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe. It is often seen in large cities such as Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
In the United Kingdom, Stefanus is even rarer, with most potential Anglicised variations of the name such as Steven, Stephen or Stefan being more common.
Overall, Stefanus is still quite popular today in countries in Eastern and Central Europe and amongst certain immigrant populations in places such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Variations of the surname Stefanus
The surname Stefanus is a Latin male name derived from the Greek name Stepanos (Στέφανος). This name is also found in Spanish as Estéban, and in Italian as Stefano, in Portuguese as Estêvão, and in French as Étienne.
Other variants of the surname Stefanus include:
Steffen, Stefaan, Steffan, Steffen, Steffens, Stefano, Stephano, Stepan, Stepaan, Stephan, Stephenson, Stefán, Steaphan, Steafan, Steaphon, Steaphon, Steavean, Stefone, and Stephanus.
Variations of the surname Stefanus can be found in multiple languages, such as Ukrainian (Stefanovych), Russian (Stepanov), Polish (Stefanowicz), Hungarian (Stefán), Czech (Stefan), and Bulgarian (Stefanov). The origin of the surname can also be found in Serbian (Stefanović, Стефановић), Slovenian (Stefan), Croatian (Stefanović, Стефановић), Macedonian (Stefanovski, Стефановски), and Albanian (Stefani, Штефани).
In the United States of America, various spellings of Stefanus can be located in the Census records, such as Steffan, Stefan, Stefani, Stefanos, Stefansson, Stefanson, Stefanowicz, Stefanovicz, Steinne, Stine, and Steffen.
Surnames derived from Stephanus include Steffen, Steffens, Stephens, and Stephensen among many others. Surnames derived from Estéban include Esten, Estes, Estey, and Esty. Surnames derived from Stefano include Tay, Teye, Tey, Tei, Tye, Ty, and Tye, as well as Steffan and Steffen in the German language.
In summary, the surname Stefanus is a Latin derivative found in various languages and has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.
Famous people with the name Stefanus
- Danilo A. Stefanovic: Serbian scholar, author, professor and among the most influential figures in Serbian intellectual history.
- Viktor Stefanov: Bulgarian football manager and former player.
- Vladimír Stefan: Czech painter who was part of the surrealist movement.
- Gabriela Stefanović: Serbian model and entrepreneur.
- Marko Stefanović: Serbian footballer playing for FK BASK in the Serbian SuperLiga.
- Aleksandar Stefanović: Serbian footballer playing for FK Spartak Subotica in the Serbian SuperLiga.
- Marko Stefanović: Montenegrin actor and model.
- Zlatko Stefanović: Slovenian former footballer who played for clubs in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
- Zorica Stefanović: Serbian actress, voice actress and politician.
- Nikola Stefanović: Serbian former footballer who played for clubs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria.
- Gvozden Stefanović: Serbian former footballer and manager.
- Vladimir Stefanovski: Macedonian composer, songwriter and guitarist.
- Jelena Stefanović: Serbian actress and theatre director.
- Novica Stefanović: Serbian footballer who plays for FK Crvena Zvezda in the Serbian SuperLiga.
- Uglješa Stefanović: Serbian-Canadian engineer and professor.