A German, English, Jewish and Scottish surname, Stein comes from the Old Norse term of ‘sten’ or ‘steinn’ and the Old High German term ‘stein’ which both refer a stone. The spelling variations for Stein include Staines, Steyne, Stean, Stayne, Styn, Steiyne and Stine. In England the earliest Stein families came from Norfolk. From there the Stein surname spread to most of the southeastern and southwestern counties, including London and then north into Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham and Lancashire. In Scotland the Stein family name is common in Roxburghshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, West Lothian, Ayrshire and Fife counties. Within the United States the Stein families originated in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio. The highest populations of Stein families in the United States are presently in New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois. Famous: Ben Stein (attorney, writer and television actor), Philip Stein (artist), Dieter Stein (journalist from Germany), Robert Stein (19th century Arctic explorer), Jules C. Stein (musician), Rick Stein (English chef), Jock Stein (footballer from Scotland), Bob Stein (professional football player) and Johnny Stein (musician-drummer and bandleader).