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The Steven spelling is said on the main page to be the usual English form of Stephen.
Is this correct? It's always looked more American to me; but perhaps it started its career in the States and spread from there? There must be statistics available somewhere ... which I can't find.
Is this correct? It's always looked more American to me; but perhaps it started its career in the States and spread from there? There must be statistics available somewhere ... which I can't find.
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In the 1993 edition of The Guinness Book of Names by Leslie Dunkling, the number of births per 10,000 in England and Wales is given for a selection of years between 1950 and 1990. The figures for the two main spellings of Stephen/Steven are as follows:
1950: Stephen 268, Steven 32
1955: Stephen 568, Steven 132
1960: Stephen 454, Steven 202
1965: Stephen 380, Steven 178
1970: Stephen 282, Steven 195
1975: Stephen 233, Steven 219
1980: Stephen 172, Steven 160
1985: Stephen 156, Steven 186
1990: Stephen 102, Steven 96
So Steven was a bit more common in England & Wales than Stephen in 1985, but Stephen was ahead in the other years of this selection.
1950: Stephen 268, Steven 32
1955: Stephen 568, Steven 132
1960: Stephen 454, Steven 202
1965: Stephen 380, Steven 178
1970: Stephen 282, Steven 195
1975: Stephen 233, Steven 219
1980: Stephen 172, Steven 160
1985: Stephen 156, Steven 186
1990: Stephen 102, Steven 96
So Steven was a bit more common in England & Wales than Stephen in 1985, but Stephen was ahead in the other years of this selection.
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Interesting - thank you!
It's difficult to know what to do in cases like that, isn't it? Should these names be counted together or apart? Perhaps the tedious answer is the best from a scholarly point of view: two sets of stats, one list for all the variants counted together, and one counting them separately.
It's difficult to know what to do in cases like that, isn't it? Should these names be counted together or apart? Perhaps the tedious answer is the best from a scholarly point of view: two sets of stats, one list for all the variants counted together, and one counting them separately.
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I don't think site lists any names as being American, they're all just English.
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True ... but as Professor Higgins points out in My Fair Lady, the Americans haven't spoken English for years ...
There is a rising tide of American name fashions all round the English-speaking world, of course, largely driven by the Internet and reality and celeb TV; but when Steven and Barbra and such began, this was not really the case. And it seems likely that there would be some names that cross the North Atlantic more comfortably than others - notoriously, Randy, but also the sad ones that seem to be made of all the refrigerator magnets left over after the real words have all been made. This doesn't get mentioned much, even in the Comments slot, though it would be interesting.
There is a rising tide of American name fashions all round the English-speaking world, of course, largely driven by the Internet and reality and celeb TV; but when Steven and Barbra and such began, this was not really the case. And it seems likely that there would be some names that cross the North Atlantic more comfortably than others - notoriously, Randy, but also the sad ones that seem to be made of all the refrigerator magnets left over after the real words have all been made. This doesn't get mentioned much, even in the Comments slot, though it would be interesting.
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I would say overall Stephen is the usual form in England but I think that back in the 1960s and 70s Steven may have become been more popular. Both spellings were popular then. I know of loads of Steves in their 20s, 30s and 40s. These days I think both forms are considered dated.
American names have influenced names in Britain long before the internet - names from TV and films have had an impact for many years. I've never come across a Barbra other than Barbra Streisand and by the time she became famous the name had gone out of fashion but I'm sure there are some around in the UK. I don't think the name Randy is ever used in Britain!
American names have influenced names in Britain long before the internet - names from TV and films have had an impact for many years. I've never come across a Barbra other than Barbra Streisand and by the time she became famous the name had gone out of fashion but I'm sure there are some around in the UK. I don't think the name Randy is ever used in Britain!
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