Stenson
Usually a patronymic meaning “son of Stephen,” though some bearers may descend from the Derbyshire place name Stenson.
The #9,552 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,727 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Stenson is generally explained as a shortened form of Stephen-based surnames, literally meaning “son of Stephen.” The personal name Stephen came into England through Norman French after the Conquest, ultimately from Greek Stephanos, “crown” or “wreath.” Some 19th-century surname writers also connected Stenson with the Derbyshire place name Stenson, which they interpreted as an old settlement name with a second element meaning farm or estate.
History
English surname dictionaries from the 19th century usually treat Stenson as a variant of Stephenson/Stevenson-type patronymics. However, they also note a local Derbyshire origin for at least some families, from the township of Stenson near Barrow in Derbyshire. Because both explanations appear in the older literature, the surname is best treated as mainly patronymic but sometimes locational.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname books explicitly debate whether Stenson is a family-name form of Stephen or a surname taken from the Derbyshire place name Stenson.
From the historical record
“STENNINGS, Stenning's (Son). STENSON (Eng.) i = Steenson, q.v. 2 Bel. to Stenson (Derby) the Domesday Steintune = (app.) Stan's Farm or Estate [the genit. of O.E. stAn, stdn= O.N. steinn, a stone, rock -f- tin] STENT (Eng.) Dweller at an Allotment or Pasturage [Dial. E. stent, stint (Cumbd.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)