Stephanos or Stefanos, in Greek Στέφανος, is a masculine given name derived from the Greek word στέφανος (stéphanos), meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", from the verb στέφειν (stéphein), "to encircle, to wreathe".[1][2] In Ancient Greece, crowning wreaths (such as laurel wreaths) were given to the winners of contests. Originally, as the verb suggests, the noun had a more general meaning of any "circle"—including a circle of people, a circling wall around a city, and, in its earliest recorded use, the circle of a fight, which is found in the Iliad of Homer.[3] The English equivalent is Stephen.
People or biblical figures with the given name include:
- Saint Stephen (Greek: Stéphanos) (c. 5 AD–c. 34 AD), considered the first Christian martyr
- Stephanos Byzantios, 6th century author of a geographical dictionary
- Stephanos of Alexandria (fl. c. 580–c. 640), Byzantine philosopher and teacher
- Stephanos of Tallinn (born 1940), primate of the Orthodox Church of Estonia since 1999
- Stephanos Bibas (born 1969), United States circuit judge and professor of law and criminology
- Stephanos Christopoulos (1876–after 1906), Greek wrestler and weightlifter
- Stefanos Dedas (born 1982), Greek professional basketball head coach
- Stefanos Dragoumis (1842–1923), Greek judge, writer and Prime Minister of Greece in 1910
- Stefanos Gennadis (1858-1922), Greek general
- Stefanos Kapino (born 1994), Greek football goalkeeper
- Stefanos Kasselakis (born 1988), Greek businessman, entrepreneur and politician
- Stephanos Mousouros, Ottoman-appointed Prince of Samos from 1896 to 1899
- Stephanos Papadopoulos (born 1976), Greek-American poet
- Stephanos Sahlikis (1330–after 1391), Cretan satirical poet
- Stephanos Stephanides (born 1951), Cypriot-born author, poet, translator, critic, ethnographer and documentary filmmaker
- Stephanos Theodosius (1924–2007), Bishop of the Calcutta diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (born 1998), Greek tennis player
- Stephanos Tzangarolas (1660-1675 – 1710), Greek painter
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