boy's name
Bastien
bas-TYEN
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 57,886
France
#294
2025 births
Bastien means venerable, and it is the Greek translation of Augustus — sebastos rendered the emperor's title in the eastern half of the empire, and cities renamed Sebaste carry the same honor in Greek dress.
- Bastien is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1999, when 2,385 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 3,275 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bastien over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 50 |
| 1910s | 45 |
| 1920s | 55 |
| 1930s | 20 |
| 1940s | 20 |
| 1950s | 35 |
| 1960s | 75 |
| 1970s | 1,630 |
| 1980s | 8,865 |
| 1990s | 19,890 |
| 2000s | 15,665 |
| 2010s | 8,325 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,610 |
What Bastien means
Bastien means venerable or revered, by way of a place name. The Greek sebastos was an honorific rather than a description, applied to emperors before it reached ordinary people.
Where Bastien comes from
Bastien shortens Sébastien, from the Latin Sebastianus — a man of Sebaste. Sebaste was the Greek sebastos, venerable, and it was the standard Greek rendering of Augustus, so cities renamed Sebaste were honoring the emperor in Greek rather than Latin. Augustine, elsewhere on this site, descends from the Latin half of that same title. Saint Sebastian, the third-century martyr shot with arrows, made the name a Christian one.
Bastien in use
Bastien peaked in France in 1999, when 2,385 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 294th in France on 180 births and 6244th in the United States on 14, across 57,886 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1900, and it remains overwhelmingly French.
How popular is Bastien?
In 2025, Bastien was given to 180 babies in France, ranking #294 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Bastien is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bastien
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bastien also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bastien over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Bastien in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Bastien
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bastien — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bastien
What does the name Bastien mean?
Venerable — the Greek sebastos, by way of the city name Sebaste.
Is it related to Augustus?
Directly. Sebastos was the standard Greek translation of the title Augustus.
Who was Saint Sebastian?
A third-century martyr shot with arrows, whose cult made the name Christian.
How popular is Bastien?
294th in France, its overwhelmingly dominant market.
Is Bastien a girl's or a boy's name?
Bastien is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bastien?
Bastien has 2 syllables.
Is Bastien a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bastien currently ranks #294 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.