Stephen or Steven /ˈstiːvən/ is a masculine first name, derived from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stéfanos), in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece, a wreath was given to the winner of a contest (from which the crown, symbol of rulers derived). The use of the noun was first recorded in Homer's Iliad. The name is significant to Christians: according to the Book of Acts in the New Testament, Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death and is regarded as the first Christian martyr. The name has many variants, which include Stephan, Stevan, Stefan and Stevon.
In Middle English, the name Stephen or Stephan was pronounced as a bi-syllabic word — Step-hen or Step-han — much like a Scandinavian surname. Steve was pronounced as it is in Modern English. This etymological usage began a decline in the mid-19th century.
Steve is the common short form, while various diminutives such as Stevie and Ste are also used. Many family names are derived from Stephen: the most common are Stephens/Stevens and Stephenson/Stevenson (others include Stephen, Stephan, Staphan, Stefan, Stevin and Stever).
In the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, the Wraith are the original enemy alien species, first introduced in the pilot episode "Rising". In the series, they are a vampire-like telepathic race who feed on the "life-force" of humans, and are the dominant power in the Pegasus galaxy. The first season of Atlantis is focused on the main characters finding a way to survive an overwhelming attack by the Wraith. Although in the later seasons new enemies have taken some of the attention away from the Wraith, they remain a potent and ever-present threat to the Atlantis Expedition.
All of the named Wraith who have appeared on Stargate Atlantis are named by humans, as it is unknown whether wraith even have names. John Sheppard often gives captured Wraith amusing/generic Earth names. The majority of non-warrior male and female Wraith were played by the same actors, James Lafazanos and Andee Frizzell respectively. James Lafazanos left the show after season 2. Other male Wraith have been played by Christopher Heyerdahl (season 3 onwards), Jeffrey C. Robinson (season 2), Dan Payne (season 3), James Bamford (season 3), Brendan Penny (season 4), Tyler McClendon (season 5) and Neil Jackson (season 5).
Stephen is a masculine given name.
Stephen may also refer to:
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Ceephax Acid Crew (real name Andy Jenkinson) is a British acid techno and drum and bass electronic musician. Jenkinson is also known simply by the pseudonym Ceephax, which is a reference to the BBC teletext service Ceefax. He is the brother of Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson).
Ceephax's music from 1997 to 2002 and beyond used mainly vintage (especially Roland) drum machines and synthesizers such as the TB-303. This music was often recorded onto a cassette tape deck. The music was released on vinyl records and cassette tape on underground labels such as Breakin' Records, Lo Recordings and Firstcask. This primitive Acid House aesthetic and methodology countered the growing popularity of the computer music and compact disc releases of the time. Rephlex Records and Warp Records also released remixes of Squarepusher by Ceephax around this time.
From 2003 onwards as well as his more typical Acid style he has also released drum and bass songs made on old samplers, a Commodore Amiga and various early digital synthesizers, again displaying an interest in late 1980s and early 1990s dance music. His set on Mary Anne Hobb's show Breezeblock in 2003 and more recent tracks such as "Castilian" and "Arcadian" also indicate an interest in Chiptune music.