Stevens Surname: Fitz-Stephen, Stephens, Stevens

Stevens Surname: Fitz-Stephen, Stephens, Stevens

http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/t/e/William-Lackey--Stephens/GENE20-0002.html- Some Descendants of the Fitz Stephen Family in England and New England by C. Ellis Sevens, LL.D., D.C.L. F.S.A. (Edinburgh) Knight of Portugal. New York - Privately Printed 1904.

Also included in this website information: Stevens - Stephens Genealogy and Family History” author: Clarence Perry Stevens. Contains the Stevens-Stephens family of North Carolina. Privately Published. 1968.

Surname variations   The Norman house of Fitz Stephen originally took its cognomen [an extra personal name given to an ancient Roman citizen, functioning rather like a nickname and typically passed down from father to son] from the Christian name borne in honor of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. In the development of English surnames allusion to landed estates, to Christian names, or to occupations was characteristic -usually with corruption or alteration in process of time in either sound or spelling, or both, and almost invariably in spelling. The family of Le De Spencer, for instance, with whom a branch of the Stevens family is connected, took designation from the high office at court of Dispenser of Lord Steward of the royal household, held by the earlier ancestors. The name grew to be Despencer, than De Spencer, and finally Spencer, by which corrupted form are now know the men of this blood -the Dukes of Marlborough and Earls Spender. The “de” in most Norman surnames has long since been dropped. The De Wessingtons have become Washingtons, the De Walgraves, by curious confusion, Waldegraves; the De Winterwades, Wentworths; and a similar process of change has been usual.

   In like transitions the name Fitz Stephen became Fitz Stephens, and then Stephens. And as spelling was long unsettled, the alphabetical letters being used with wide liberty, if somehow then conveyed the intended sound -the name came to be spelled a variety of ways. The principal spellings, Stephens and Stevens, have been used interchangeably, both in England and America. The later American forms of Steevens and Stevens, as settled by distinctly traceable processes evidenced by old family documents, are well-known corruptions of the original. Among other spellings on both sides of the Atlantic may be mentioned Stephenes, Stepheyns, Stephyn, Stevyns, Steveens, Steevens, Steevans, Stevins and Schyvyns. The essential point in genealogy, of course, is actual blood descent; and alterations in the structure or spelling of a name, or even entire change of name, is of but incidental consequence. Varied form in the name is one of the well recognized marks of an ancient family.

Surname variations: The name Stevens, or Stephens, is said to derive from the Greek word “Stephanos” meaning a crown. Stephens mottos are several, which however, are only variations of “I live in hope”. The motto of our Norman line is “Deus Inteisit” meaning “Let God be in our Midst.” ...our coat of arms is that of our ancestor Thomas2 Stephens of London.

   There has been much confusion over the spelling of our name before 1850… Many of our proven relatives in, or stemming from, Owen Co, Indiana, still spell it Stephens. Before 1840 and the establishment of public schools, most people were illiterate and the spelling was rather phonetic so cousins sometimes spelled their names different and sometimes the same person spelled his or her name different at different times… Apparently the family took the name from St. Stephen, the martyr. In France it became Fitz-Stephen or Estienne and in English Fitz-Stephen. Then after a while the Fitz was dropped and apparently it became Stephenson and later the ‘on’ was dropped leaving Stephens. Other spellings have been Steevens, Stephenes, Stephyns, Stevins…
Nicholas Stephens b. 1620, came to America under an assumed name in 1660; [church registers] Stevens or Steuvens.

 Perhaps I should say here that it would be difficult to trace any farther back than the Fitz-Stephen family in France for want of records and the fact that the Norse had a peculiar (to us) way of naming people; i.e., if a man was named Eric Johnson and had a son Thor, the son’s surname or last name would not be Johnson but Ericson so the surnames of each descendant changed which would seem to make research somewhat more difficult even if a few records could be found.

Note: The [10th] generation of this John Stephens, the prefix “Fitz” which means “son of” was dropped. Child: i. Richard Stephens.

Blog Posts for Stephens/Stevens Family: http://gray-adamsfamily.blogspot.com/2016/07/blog-posts-for-stephensstevens-family.html  (Jody Gray) created this Blog Post to provide links to all Blog Posts related to the Stephens/Stevens Family. The Gray-Piper Family Tree Trunk - The Stevens Family is connected to the Piper Family.
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