Stephenson

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A patronymic family name in English-speaking countries, originally meaning the son of a man called Stephen
2. A common English family name derived from the given name Stephen, once used to mark someone as Stephen's son
3. A hereditary surname of English origin, formed from the first name Stephen with the sense of descent from him

Etymology: Stephenson is a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Stephen." The English name Stephen goes back to Greek "Stephanos," meaning "crown" or "garland," a word that was used for a wreath awarded to victors in the ancient games. The name spread across Christian Europe through the figure of Saint Stephen, traditionally regarded as the first Christian martyr. The ending "-son" is an old and ordinary English element. It comes from Old English "sunu," meaning "son," which descends from a very ancient Germanic word. Middle English shortened it to "-son," and it was attached to a father's given name to show whose child a person was. Stephenson therefore records a family line rather than a trade, place or nickname. The most famous bearer of the name is George Stephenson, the English engineer who built early steam locomotives, though the surname itself predates him and is found widely across England and Scotland.