The English and Scottish surname of Stephenson come from the Greek term ‘stephanos’ which mean a crown. The spelling variations for Stephenson include Stephinson, Steveston, Steinon, Steeson and Stenson. In England the Stephenson surname originated in the Huntingdonshire region. The families spread to Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire counties. In Scotland the Stephenson surname is very popular in Aberdeenshire along the central eastern coast. There are also Stephenson families in Midlothian and Lanarkshire counties as well as many other counties scattered across Scotland. Within the United States the Stephenson surname originated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, California, Washington and Texas. Famous: George Stephenson (19th century engineer and creator of Stephenson’s Rocket), John Stephenson (professional baseball player), Paul Stephenson (professional rugby player from Australia), William S. Stephenson (British-Canadian intelligence spy during World Wars I & II), Riggs Stephenson (professional baseball player) and Neal Stephenson (writer).