Stephens is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Stephen. It means 'crown' or 'garland', and was popular among medieval nobility due to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The name Stephens is a variant spelling, often used interchangeably with Stevens or Stevenson, which emerged during the Middle Ages as names became more fluid in their orthography.
The name Stephens experienced peaks in popularity around the mid-20th century, with particularly high numbers of births occurring annually between 1948 and 1954, reaching a peak of 22 births in 1953. After this period, the number of annual births decreased significantly, fluctuating between 5 to 13 births per year until the late 1970s. Since then, the name Stephens has been less commonly given at birth, with most years seeing fewer than 10 babies named Stephens.