Destephanis Family History & Genealogy

History

The Italian surname De Stephanis is very rare identified existing in about 25 communes in Italy today, most commonly in Abruzzo. It also appears that the name was "Italianized" to De Stefanis sometime in the past. The surname De Stefanis (also somewhat rare) is existing in over 165 communes in Italy today, principally in Lazio, Abruzzo, Liguria, Piemonte and Lombardia.

Name Origin

This is an Italian based surname. The surname, De Stephanis, appears to have a religious origin and is tied to both the Latin and Greek languages which were part of the early Christian church. "Stephanis" is the Greek word (Στέφανiς) for crown. The language of religious expression used when Christianity began was Greek. For example, the various letters and books that are collectively called the New Testament of the Bible were written in Greek.
Thus, the most likely origin of the name De Stephanis may derive from Saint Stephen, the proto-martyr. In the early church he was still called Saint Stephanis or Stephanus. The story of Saint Stephen is told in Acts 6, 7 and 8. Traditionally, Saint Stephen is invested with a crown of martyrdom for Christianity. Saint Stephen's traditional feast day in 26 December (Latin calendar) or 27 December (Orthodox calendar). In the old city of Jerusalem, the Lion's Gate is also called St. Stephanus Gate, after the tradition that Stephen's stoning to death occurred there. The "De" prefix seems likely tied to the Latin form of the Italian "di" meaning "of" or "from". There is NO "di Stephanis" surname found in Italy.
One other possibility is that the name is just simply derived from Roman (Latin) for Stephen. In Abruzzo primarily there are several examples of names deriving from Roman forms. Some examples are De Angelis, De Gabrielis, De Laurentiis, De Vincentiis, De Adducis, etc.

Spellings & Pronunciations

De Stefanis using the Italian "f" in place of the original Greek "ph".
Also many have made the name into one word - DeStephanis (or DeStefanis).
The Italian surnames di Stefani and de Stefani may also result from continued "Italianization" of the religious name "Stephanis" over time.
Pronounce with emphasis on "Ste". "Duh STE fan is"

Nationality & Ethnicity

This is an Italian based surname of religious origin. The original name in Italy is two words "de Stephanis". This name is not to be confused with di (or de) Stefano, which is a patryonomic name meaning (in effect) son or descended from Stefano (or Steven).

Famous People named Destephanis

One of the earliest documented uses of the surname De Stephanis is by Bonifazio Stivanic or Drakoliza also known as Bonifacio of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). Bonifacio De Stephanis (1504-1582) was a Franciscan monk from Ragusa, a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church and diplomat of the Roman Curia. He studied in Paris and later taught theology. He was a supervisor of the Holy Land in Jerusalem. He participated in the Third Council of Trent in 1562/1563. De Stephanis was appointed as bishop in 1564 by Pope Pius IV. Pope Pius V appointed him as the Apostolic delegate to the Balkans and as Apostolic Nuncio (to represent the affairs of the Holy See) to the court of King Phillip II of Spain. Later Pope Gregory XIII entrusted him with diplomatic missions in Ottoman Hungary. De Stephanis was the last guardian and custodian of records at the Cenacle on Mount Zion and oversaw the transfer of important religious and historical documents from this location to the Monastery (now Convent) of St. Saviour in Jerusalem, when the Church was forced to vacate the Cenacle.
Pietro De Stephanis (1807-1894) of Pettorano Italy, practiced as a notary while simultaneously cultivating a passion for classical studies and, as a scholar, he left valuable contributions to the Abruzzo culture, even if they were not recognized by most people. Animated by a secular and liberal spirit, he was sometimes mayor and councilor of Pettorano and, in this last role, in 1865 he had the City Council vote for an agenda against the death penalty: certainly a revolutionary event for the time, revealing the sensitivity of the character.
Bruno De Stephanis is an actor and writer, known for La donna orientale (1996), Un arabo mancato (2013) and Alex l'ariete (2000).
Luigi De Stephanis was a professional soccer player (mid-fielder) in Luxembourg in the 1980s.
Massimo De Stephanis is a double bass player, bass player, composer, musicologist, arranger, born in Naples in 1968. In the jazz field he has been working professionally since 1989, both at the head of a Quartet in his own name (CD Arrivals and departures, being released), and as a sideman with various musicians - Mariano Di Nunzio, Sandro Marra Quartet, Andrea Rellini 5, Rino Adamo, Teo Ciavarella, Dams Jazz Orchestra (as arranger as well as bass-bassist), and Angelo Adamo.

Early Destephanises

These are the earliest records we have of the Destephanis family.