# What is the difference between Steven and Stephen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334 "2012-07-25T14:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/1 "2012-07-25T14:01:13Z")
That is, why are there two spellings of that name? And how many words have a “ph” that makes a “v” sound? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/2 "2012-07-25T14:07:56Z")
Hate to say it, but [Yahoo answers](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080611065844AAdUzzx) has a great, understandable explanation. The ph(f)-v change is answered with more examples at [English Language usage](http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/9772/why-is-the-ph-pronounced-like-a-v-in-stephen-is-this-the-only-word-like-t). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/3 "2012-07-25T14:11:48Z")
They are in effect the same name. It’s my real-life first name, and I use them interchangeably. (It’s derived from my grandfather’s name, a foreign version of the same). Ultimately, it derives from the Greek _Stephanos_, the protomaryr mentioned in the _Acts of the Apostles_, and I have no doubt it was pronounced with an -f- sound, as it is in most of the world. The -v- sound is, I suspect, an English (and later, American sand other colonial) affectation, the same way the English-speaking world voices the “J” in “Jesus” differently from the rest of the world. How this evolved into a -v- sound I do not know, but it’s woreth noting that my grandfather’s name didn’t use an -f- pronunciation, either, so variations of the name go beyond English-speaking eccentricity. “Steve” seems to me clearly a familiar form based on the -v- pronunciation of the letters in “Stephen”. Its dereivation is obvious, and no further explanation is necessary. As for changes from -f- sound to -v- sound, I can’t think of any for the “ph” spelling right now, but it’s not unusual for plurals – the plural of _elf_, after all, is _elves_. And the plural of _shelf_ is _shelves_. And the plural of _wife_ is _wives_. And of _life_ is _lives_. Think a while and you’ll comke up with others. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/4 "2012-07-25T14:19:06Z")
My first name is Steven, and when I was growing up I was told that Stephan was the ‘old fashioned’ spelling while Steven was the modern spelling. My best friend and his wife had a child a few years ago and named him ‘Stephan’. They keep calling him my namesake even though the spelling is different. When I asked them why they chose that particular spelling they said because it was more ‘traditional’. So modern versus traditional spelling, I think that’s the difference here. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/5 "2012-07-25T14:21:04Z")
“V” is just the voiced version of “f”. They are the voiced and voiceless labiodental\* fricatives, respectively. IOW, a “v” is just an “f” with some voice added. \*lips on teeth ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/6 "2012-07-25T14:22:02Z")
“Nephew” has a /v/ in some dialects, though not in mine. The only place I’ve heard it is Britain. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/7 "2012-07-25T14:30:32Z")
My mother’s rationale for naming my brother Stephen was that she didn’t want him to be called Steve. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/8 "2012-07-25T15:00:02Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > My mother’s rationale for naming my brother Stephen was that she didn’t want him to be called Steve. Did people call him Steph? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/9 "2012-07-25T15:00:31Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > My mother’s rationale for naming my brother Stephen was that she didn’t want him to be called Steve. Well… if that was her main aim, she only picked the second-worst possible choice. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/10 "2012-07-26T00:16:34Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > My first name is Steven, and when I was growing up I was told that Stephan was the ‘old fashioned’ spelling while Steven was the modern spelling. > > My best friend and his wife had a child a few years ago and named him ‘Stephan’. They keep calling him my namesake even though the spelling is different. When I asked them why they chose that particular spelling they said because it was more ‘traditional’. > > So modern versus traditional spelling, I think that’s the difference here. Honestly, that is a little weird, as Stephan is the usual spelling for steh-FAHN, rather than STEE-vehn. (Use fs, as in Steffan, and it becomes STEF-fuhn.) And, no, I’m not using IPA as it’s a hassle to type out and no one will need it. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/11 "2012-07-26T00:54:40Z")
My basic assumpition or rule of thumb is that V is 'Mercan, while PH is English / Colonial. Doesn’t always work, but does provide a guide. Other than that, is just like checking the cheque into the check account. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/12 "2012-07-26T00:59:52Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > My basic assumpition or rule of thumb is that V is 'Mercan, while PH is English / Colonial. > > Doesn’t always work, but does provide a guide. > > Other than that, is just like checking the cheque into the check account. No. “Stephen” is very common in the US. You might be onto something with the Geoff/Jeff dichotomy, but ever there, I think it’s more that Geoffrey is more common in the UK than in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/13 "2012-07-26T01:48:16Z")
I used to wonder about Daedelus. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Tilt\_Boogie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Full\_Tilt\_Boogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Tilt_Boogie)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/14 "2012-07-26T01:55:01Z")
I suspect its usage stems from the British habit of contracting names (e.g. Brendan become Bren, David becomes Dave, Philip become Phil, Stephen becomes Steve, becomes Steven etc.) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/15 "2012-07-26T02:10:40Z")
Try saying “stee-fen”. It’s almost impossible not to say “Steven.” ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/16 "2012-07-26T02:17:42Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Try saying “stee-fen”. It’s almost impossible not to say “Steven.” Right, because the first syllable is stressed, with a vowel coda. You can, of course, remove the voicing if you change the name, and say /stƐ ‘fɑn/, which usually just annoys people. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/17 "2012-07-26T02:18:45Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > As for changes from -f- sound to -v- sound, I can’t think of any for the “ph” spelling right now, but it’s not unusual for plurals – the plural of _elf_, after all, is _elves_. Actually, it isn’t. Tolkien had solid linguistic reasons for choosing _elves_ and _elven_ over other possibilities, but he deliberately replaced _elfs_ and _elfin_ because he thought them evocative of the wee folk, not his classically tragic immortals. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/18 "2012-07-26T02:36:11Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Actually, it isn’t. Tolkien had solid linguistic reasons for choosing _elves_ and _elven_ over other possibilities, but he deliberately replaced _elfs_ and _elfin_ because he thought them evocative of the wee folk, not his classically tragic immortals. Are you sure about that? I do know that the standard plural of “dwarf” was “dwarfs” until Tolkien came along and decided to use “dwarves” in his work, but I thought “elves” was pretty standard pre-Tolkien. ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/19 "2012-07-26T03:19:33Z")
I don’t pronounce them the same Stephen to me is pronounced ‘steph-’ (like stephanie) and ‘-en’ That’s how people pronounce Stephen Curry’s name. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334/20 "2012-07-26T03:26:28Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Try saying “stee-fen”. It’s almost impossible not to say “Steven.” I’m not sure what you mean. I actually used to pronounce it “Stee-fen” as a kid until someone pointed out that it’s supposed to be said the same as “Steven.” I mean, “leafing” and “leaving” are not hard to distinguish and say, are they? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-steven-and-stephen/629334.md?page=2)