Stephen vs. Steven (2024)

In the May 20 Times, I found the most amazing error in one of your articles. To most, it might seem trivial, but as the mother of a Stephen, it almost knocked me off my chair.

The whole point of the rather lengthy article was to highlight how much effort and practice it takes to pronounce people’s names correctly for commencement ceremonies. How odd that one of the most pointed examples given was 100 percent wrong!

Doesn’t anybody proofread these things? You can look it up in any dictionary.

For the record, “Steven” is an American variant of the more traditional spelling “Stephen.” Both are pronounced exactly the same way (Stee-ven). By the same token, “Stefen,” “Stefan,” and “Stephan” are all pronounced the same way (Stef-un).

Here’s hoping that these folks can pull themselves together before it is our turn to march down the aisle.

Linda Gribble

Richmond

Stephen vs. Steven (2024)

FAQs

Why do people pronounce Stephen as Steven? ›

They wonder why it's pronounced Steven. True it is an "f" PH is always "f" Just not a hard "F" the "f" of "ph" in Stephen is called a Passive "f" like in the two letter preposition 'OF' pronounced "uV" That is why it IS pronounced Steven.

Did Stephen or Steven come first? ›

Stephen or Steven (generally pronounced English pronunciation: /ˈstiːvən/) is an English masculine first name, comes the Latin form Stephanus and that from the Greek Στέφανος (Stephanos), which means "crown" or "wreath."
...
Stephen
DerivedGreek: Στέφανος
Related namesStephanie, Steven
7 more rows

Is Stephen and Steven the same name? ›

However, in the name Stephen the spelling "ph" remained (or has been restored) due to the influence of the Greek original. In other words, Stephen and Steven are pronounced the same way, but the former has an anachronistic spelling.

What is a cool nickname for Stephen? ›

Nicknames: Stav, Stef, Steff, Steph, Stev, Steve, Stevey, Stevie, Stevy, Ven, and Venie.

Is Steven Short for Stephen? ›

Well yes. Stephen is pronounced Steven. Not to be confused with Stephon. Which is pronounced steffon.

Is Stephen with ph or V? ›

Stephen represents the Greek version of the name (Stephanos), with the ph representing the letter phi, usually pronounced /f/ (as in “photo”). However, a voiceless consonant between two vowels is often voiced, which would make the sound /v/.

Is Steven with V or ph? ›

Do you pronounce Stephen? Typically, it is pronounced with stress of the first syllable - (STEE) and followed by a “hard ph” (pronounced like a V). Another popular pronunciation of this name is a brief “Steh” sound, and followed by a “soft ph” (pronounced like an F).

Is Steven a biblical name? ›

Stephen is a popular name of Greek origin derived from the word Stephanos meaning “crown” or “garland.” It is a prominent biblical name that was made famous by Saint Stephen. He was an disciple who spread the word of Christianity, which led to him becoming the first Christian martyr.

What is Irish for Stephen? ›

Answer. Stephen in Irish is Stíofán.

Is the name Stephen in the Bible? ›

Stephen is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church. According to Orthodox belief, he was the eldest and is therefore called "archdeacon".

How do Italians spell Stephen? ›

Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen).

Is Steven a rare name? ›

How common is the name Steven for a baby born in 2021? Steven was the 235th most popular boys name. In 2021 there were 1,500 baby boys named Steven. 1 out of every 1,240 baby boys born in 2021 are named Steven.

Is Steven a boy or girl? ›

Steven is a baby boy name of British origin.

Is Steven a good name for a boy? ›

The name Steven has been a popular name in the United States for many years. It was one of the top 10 most popular names for boys in the 1950s and 1960s. In recent years, the popularity of the name Steven has decreased slightly, but it is still a popular name, ranking as the 129th most popular name for boys in 2020.

What is Steven A full name? ›

Stephen A. Smith
BornStephen Anthony Smith October 14, 1967 The Bronx, New York, U.S.
EducationWinston-Salem State University (BA)
OccupationsSports television personality sports radio host sports journalist
EmployerESPN Inc.
10 more rows

What does the baby name Stephen mean? ›

Meaning:crown. Commonly referred to as Steve or Stevie, Stephan is a baby boy name of Greek origin. Derived from the Greek word Stephanos, the name Stephan directly translates to “crown.” This name sounds distinguished and regal with a few variations from the Christian Church too, like Stephen and Steven.

Why is ph pronounced f? ›

Greek Phi was once pronounced as a hard "P" in Ancient Greek. So, Latin inscriptions wrote it as "PH" to show that it's a P sound, but with more air with H. As Greek changed, so did the Greek based English words. In Modern Greek, Phi is pronounced as "F", and no longer like "PH"/a hard P.

Is Steven the host or is Marc? ›

Steven's lack of awareness of Marc

By the fifth episode, however, it's confirmed that Marc is actually the host personality and Steven is his alter.

Is Marc or Steven the actual person? ›

What about Steven and Marc's dissociative identity disorder? In Episode 5, Steven — who has believed he's the core identity between him and Marc since the beginning — learns that he is actually an alter that developed during Marc's childhood, when he was blamed by his mother for his younger brother's death.

Why is Steven also Marc? ›

The fictional Steven Grant was a hero Marc and Randall aspired to; the Steven Grant identity gets to be Marc's hero. He saves Marc from the trauma he's endured, he helps Marc face his trauma with empathy, and he ultimately saves Marc from being lost in the sands of the underworld.

How common of a name is Steven? ›

The name Steven was once very popular, ranking in the top 100 boys' baby names for 70 years. In the 1950s, it was in the top 10 and then the top 20 for a long time. Now it's fallen out of favor and is just popular. It currently ranks 224th on the United States name charts (2).

How rare is the name Stephen? ›

How common is the name Stephen for a baby born in 2021? Stephen was the 341st most popular boys name. In 2021 there were 951 baby boys named Stephen. 1 out of every 1,957 baby boys born in 2021 are named Stephen.

Is Steven a popular baby name? ›

The name Steven has been a popular name in the United States for many years. It was one of the top 10 most popular names for boys in the 1950s and 1960s. In recent years, the popularity of the name Steven has decreased slightly, but it is still a popular name, ranking as the 129th most popular name for boys in 2020.

When was the name Stephen most popular? ›

Stephen, also spelled Steven, is a strong and likable classic, with the he's-a-great-guy short form Steve. Though not as well-used or fashionable as it was in its heyday -- it was a Top 25 name from 1946 to 1957 -- it's still a widely used name.

Is Steven spelled Stephen? ›

For the record, “Steven” is an American variant of the more traditional spelling “Stephen.” Both are pronounced exactly the same way (Stee-ven). By the same token, “Stefen,” “Stefan,” and “Stephan” are all pronounced the same way (Stef-un).

What race is the name Steven? ›

Scottish English Dutch and North German: from the personal name Steven from Latin Stephanus Greek Stephanos 'crown'.

What are the versions of Steven? ›

The variation Štefan is Slovak, Slovenian, and Croatian; Štěpán is Czech; Stefán is Icelandic; and Ștefan is Romanian. The Dutch nickname is Stef; Serbian and Croatian diminutives include Stevo, Stipe, and Stipo; the Polish base nickname is Stefek; and the Romanian nickname is Fane. 4.

What is the Italian name for Stephen? ›

Stephen {proper noun}

Stefano {pr. n.}

What is the French name for Stephen? ›

Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne.

What is the #1 most popular name? ›

Top Names Over the Last 100 Years
MalesFemales
RankNameName
1JamesMary
2RobertPatricia
3JohnJennifer
87 more rows

What is the most unpopular baby name? ›

For girls' names, Angela, Kimberley Alexa and Nicole ranked as some of the least popular. Likewise, Ashley, Sophia, Lorraine, Kristen and Suzanne also made it onto the list as the least-desired names.
...
Most unpopular boys names for 2022:
  • Jeffrey.
  • Nigel.
  • Ashton.
  • Graham.
  • Stuart.
  • Chad.
  • Gary.
  • Bill.
Aug 15, 2022

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