Everyday LifeGreek → English
Stephen
/ˈstivən/noun
A male given name.
The Greek roots
στέφανος
stéphanos
crown, wreath
Literally: “wreath, garland”
Follow a root:στέφανος2 words
The story of the word
A στέφανος was not a royal crown but a wreath, the circle of leaves put on the head of a victor at the games or a guest at a dinner. Stephen the first Christian martyr was stoned outside Jerusalem, and Greek writers played on the name: he took the wreath. The name came to England with the Normans, and a King Stephen was on the throne by 1135.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
Same family
Stephaniestephanotis
In a sentence
Stephen never uses the short form and quietly corrects people who do.
Boxing Day is St Stephen's Day across most of Europe.