This is a Scottish surname deriving from a petform of the personal name Steven (coming from the Greek "Stephanos" and translating as "laurel Wreath"). Originally, the surname was chiefly found in Fife, Ayrshire and Roxburghshire, and is first recorded in the mid 16th Century. The forename first appears in the mid 15th Century - "Steyn Tran in Irvine". One, John Steyne was burgess of Glasgow in 1575. The spelling Stein appears in 1583. Katie Stein who lived a secluded life at Laighpark (Kirkoswald parish) is said to have been the "cutty-sark" heroine of Burns "Tam O' Shanter". In the modern idiom, the name has two spelling variations: Steen and Stein. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alan Steyn (a monk). which was dated 1557 - Kilwinning Abbey Records. during the reign of Queen Mary, House of Stuart, 1542 - 1567. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.