According to The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names, Stephen was the ‘partially vernacular’ medieval form of the biblical name Stephanus, which had its origin in turn in the Greek Staphanas. This first name had become popular as it was the name of the first Christian martyr, stoned to death in Jerusalem three years after the … Continue reading 5. Stephens or Stevens?
Tag: Stevens
Patronyms and the Cornish language
Does the presence of patronymic surnames (surnames derived from first names) tell us anything about the last days of the traditional Cornish language? I have argued elsewhere that the distribution of the most common surnames in nineteenth century Cornwall – Williams, Thomas and Richards – offers a good indication of the geography of the language … Continue reading Patronyms and the Cornish language
Which is more ‘Cornish’, Stevens or Stephens?
In the 1950s the surname researcher Richard Blewett asked ‘are the Stevens at present in Cornwall descendants of Breton Celtic immigrants’, citing the Cornish revivalist Robert Morton Nance. This was repeated by G.Pawley White in 1972 who claimed that Stevens was the ‘Cornish form’ of Stephens. But is this actually the case? In 1881 both … Continue reading Which is more ‘Cornish’, Stevens or Stephens?
Cornish studies resources 