The English surname Stephens, found also in Ireland and Scotland, is of patronymic origin meaning son of , or descendent of Stephen. The personal name Stephen is a vernacular form of Latin Stephanus, Greek Stephanos  meaning “crown.”  This was a popular name throughout Christendom in the Middle Ages, having been borne by the first Christian martyr, stoned to death at Jerusalem three years after the death of Christ. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alice Stevens or Stephens. which was dated 1279. A notable bearer of the name was Catherine Stephens, Countess of Essex (1794 - 1882), a vocalist and actress listed in the National Biography, who sang at Drury Lane and Covent Garden, London and was “unsurpassed for her rendering of ballads.”