Esteban

Esteban is the Spanish form of Stephen, from the Greek stephanos, meaning crown or garland, the laurel woven for victors and martyrs alike. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, gave the name its devotional weight, and it spread across the Spanish-speaking world in every register from royal court to barrio. At rank 456, Esteban travels easily between Mexico and Madrid and every Latino household in between, and it's climbing among U.S. parents embracing longer Hispanic classics. Three syllables, emphasis on the middle, each one a separate plume of breath. Courtly, warm, and handsomely old-world, Esteban wears its laurel with quiet confidence.