Stephens-Stevens Y-DNA Testing Project- Background

Background

The name Stephen or Steven was originally derived from the New Testament Greek word stephanos, which means "crown" or "garland" (from the Greek verb stepho - to twine or wreathe). St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr after Christ Himself, was a very popular saint throughout medieval Europe. Many boys were named for him. When surnames began to be adopted in Europe, various versions of the name Stephen were used as a patronymic denoting "son of Stephen." Thus different forms of the patronymic surname "Stephens" appear in every country in Europe, according to the language of each country. Immigrants to the English-speaking New World often anglicized their own versions of "son of Stephen" to the English "Stephens" or "Stevens" or had their names anglicized by census takers or immigration workers. The purpose of this project is to help Stephens-Stevens families with their genealogical research. It is open worldwide to those men with the surnames Stephens, Stevens, Stephan, Stephen, Stevin, Steven, Stebbins, Steffins, Steffen and other versions of the surnames Stephens or Stevens, meaning primarily "son (or descendant) of Stephen". This is a y-dna project. Women may participate by having a male Stephens-Stevens relative submit a dna sample for testing. Please click on the tabs above to view the various aspects of our project.