Explore the Family Name Steen
The meaning of Steen
1. North German, Norwegian, and Danish; Swedish (also Steén and Stéen); Dutch and Flemish (also Van der Steen): from Middle Low German stēn, Old Norse steinn (Danish and Swedish sten) ‘stone’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived on stony ground, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with stone (quarryman, stonecutter, or stonemason). As a Swedish name it is mainly habitational name from a placename, such as Stenby, containing the word sten ‘stone’; it can also be from the personal name Sten, with the same meaning. Compare Sten. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Steyne (Old Norse Steinn, Sten, meaning ‘stone’). 3. English: habitational name from any of various minor places in northern England and Scotland named with Old English stān ‘stone, rock’ (northern Middle English stayn), or in the rest of England with Old English stǣne ‘stony place’ (Middle English stane, stayne, stene), including Steane (Northamptonshire), Stein Farm in East Dean (Sussex), Stains in Funtington (Sussex), what is now Old Steine in Brighton (Sussex), and Steyne in Chale (Isle of Wight). Compare Staines. 4. Scottish: from a shortened form of Stephen. 5. Irish and Scottish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Stiamhna ‘son of Stephen’, often Anglicized as McStephen or McStein.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Steen in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Steen has seen a minor shift in its popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Steen was ranked 2,686th most popular and moved slightly to 2,776th place in 2010, marking a minor decrease of 3.35%. However, there was a small increase in the number of people bearing this surname, with 12,356 counts in 2000 moving up to 12,989 in 2010, signifying a 5.12% increase. The proportion of the surname Steen per 100,000 people also declined by 3.93%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,686 | #2,776 | -3.35% |
| Count | 12,356 | 12,989 | 5.12% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.58 | 4.4 | -3.93% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Steen
Looking at the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the distribution of the Steen surname across different ethnic identities saw some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with the Steen surname identified as White, although there was a slight decrease from 83.94% in 2000 to 82.16% in 2010. There was a notable increase in the Hispanic identity from 1.35% to 2.23%, a growth of 65.19%. Those identifying as Black also increased marginally by 4.66%. The population identifying with two or more races grew by 41.67%. Meanwhile, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 17.86% and 14.81% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83.94% | 82.16% | -2.12% |
| Black | 12.02% | 12.58% | 4.66% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 2.23% | 65.19% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 1.87% | 41.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.81% | 0.69% | -14.81% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.46% | -17.86% |
Steen ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Steen is British & Irish, which comprises 48.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.0%) and Scandinavian (12.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 48.4% |
| French & German | 22.0% |
| Scandinavian | 12.1% |
| Other | 17.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Steen
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Steen have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
What Steen haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Steen is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Cameron, Howe, Hughes, Maynard, Hopkins, Shaw, Morgan, Parr, Sherman, Hutchison.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Steen surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Steen have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Steen" Surname 40.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Steen" Surname 27.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Steen" Surname 21.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Steen" Surname 18.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Steen?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Steen are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition