Variant of Stephanie, from Greek 'stephanos' meaning crown or garland.
Stephany is a variant spelling of Stephanie, the feminine form of Stephen — from the ancient Greek "Stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath." In the classical world, the stephanos was the laurel or olive wreath placed on the heads of victors at athletic games and on honorees at symposia, making the name literally a symbol of achievement and distinction. Stephen's prominence as a Christian name comes primarily from Saint Stephen, venerated as the first Christian martyr, whose stoning is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles with striking detail and theological weight.
The feminine Stephanie emerged in France and spread across Europe through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming especially fashionable in the English-speaking world during the mid-twentieth century. Princess Stéphanie of Monaco — the younger daughter of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier — gave the name considerable glamour in the 1980s, when it was among the most popular names for girls in the United States and several European countries. The Stephany spelling, while less common, has appeared consistently as a personal or family variant, distinguishing itself from the standard form with a small orthographic signature.
The name's meaning — crown — gives Stephany a latent regality that its bearers may or may not choose to inhabit. It has the versatility of names with long histories: formal when written in full, immediately comfortable as Steph. The variant spelling suggests individuality within a familiar framework, a small customization of a name whose roots run all the way back to ancient garlands of olive and laurel.