STEEN
Steen is a surname of Dutch, Norse and Scandinavian provenance, signifying the stone or rock upon which it is derived.
The word originates from the Old Norse stein and the Dutch steen, both of which mean “stone”. As a surname it often functioned as a topographic reference for a person dwelling near a prominent stone, or as a metonymic occupational appellation for a stonemason. In some instances the name may have been bestowed as a nickname upon a person of stout or unyielding character.
The Scottish occurrence of Steen is traced to a petform of the personal name Steven, itself derived from the Greek Stephanos which translates as “laurel wreath”. The surname first appears in the mid‑fifteenth century in the annal of Irvine: “Steyn Tran”. Subsequent records include John Steyne, a burgess of Glasgow in 1575, and the spelling Stein in 1583. The earliest documented instance of the name is that of the monk Alan Steyn, dated 1557 in the Kilwinning Abbey Records, during the reign of Queen Mary of the House of Stuart.
In the Low Countries, particularly the Netherlands and Belgium, Steen ranks among the most common surnames. It is the 79th most frequent name in the Netherlands, with a concentration in North Brabant where it is 22nd. In Belgium it occupies the 168th place, with higher frequencies in East and West Flanders. In the Dutch city of Leiden the surname ranks third in popularity. Outside this region the name appears principally as a Scandinavian surname, with significant numbers in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where it reaches 81st, 432nd and 107th places respectively.
The surname is also present in the United States, where it has seen a rise in frequency over recent decades. Texas, California, Florida and North Carolina register the highest numbers, with Houston in Texas naming the surname the 125th most common. In Australia it is relatively rare, ranking 2796th in 2019, reflecting the limited European migration in the country during the nineteenth century.
Variants of the name are numerous and reflect linguistic shifts: Steins, Steenson, Van Steen, Steinbacher, Steindamm, Steenglatt and Steening being notable examples. Despite orthographic differences, the etymology remains consistently tied to the stone, whether as a topographic, occupational, or patronymic marker.
Typical given names associated with the Steen surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Graham
- James
- John
- Jonathan
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- William
Female
- Barbara
- Elizabeth
- Judith
- Julie
- Laura
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
- Zowie
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Steen in...
Braille
⠎⠞⠑⠑⠝
Morse
...-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,620 people named Steen in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,014th most common surname in Britain. Around 25 in a million people in Britain are named Steen.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Steen
- Steve Steen - Comedian
- Anthony Steen - Politician
- Marguerite Steen - Writer (1894 to 1975)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.