boy's name
Sebastian
suh-BAS-chun
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 269,259
the United States
#16
2025 births
Sebastian is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "from Sebaste," a city whose name derives from sebastos, meaning venerable or august. The word was the Greek rendering of the Roman imperial title Augustus, so the name carries an inherited sense of reverence.
- Sebastian is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 10,325 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 385 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Sebastian over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 34 |
| 1890s | 43 |
| 1900s | 89 |
| 1910s | 838 |
| 1920s | 1,231 |
| 1930s | 774 |
| 1940s | 574 |
| 1950s | 500 |
| 1960s | 1,113 |
| 1970s | 1,413 |
| 1980s | 2,856 |
| 1990s | 14,664 |
| 2000s | 54,001 |
| 2010s | 86,811 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 53,522 |
What Sebastian means
Sebastian means a person from Sebaste, but the underlying Greek sebastos means venerable or revered. Because sebastos was used to translate the Latin Augustus, the name carries an association with imperial dignity as much as with the city itself.
Where Sebastian comes from
Sebastian comes from the Latin Sebastianus, from the Greek Sebastianos, meaning a man from Sebaste. Several cities carried that name, given in honor of the emperor Augustus, since sebastos was the standard Greek translation of the Latin augustus, meaning venerable. The name's spread through Europe follows Saint Sebastian, a third-century Roman soldier and martyr who became one of the most frequently depicted saints in Western art, usually shown bound and pierced with arrows. He was widely invoked against plague in medieval Europe, which kept his name in constant use, and it remains common across Spanish, German, Scandinavian, and Eastern European naming traditions.
How popular is Sebastian?
In 2025, Sebastian was given to 8,615 babies in the United States, ranking #16 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Sebastian is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Sebastian is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Sébastian | Sébastian is a rare spelling of Sebastian, written with an acute accent and recorded about 225 times, mostly in France. | 225 |
| Sebastiàn | Sebastiàn is a rare spelling of Sebastian, written with a grave accent and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
| Sebastián | Sebastián is a rare spelling of Sebastian, written with a fada and recorded 3 times, mostly in Ireland. | 3 |
Names that peaked alongside Sebastian
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sebastian also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sebastian over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Sebastian
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Sebastian 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.
- Dutch
- Sebastian Sebastiaan
- French
- Sébastien
- German
- Sebastian
- Italian
- Sebastiano
- Polish
- Sebastian
- Slovene
- Sebastian
Sibling names for Sebastian
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sebastian — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sebastian
What does the name Sebastian mean?
Sebastian means "from Sebaste," from the Greek sebastos, meaning venerable or august.
Who was Saint Sebastian?
A third-century Roman soldier and martyr, one of the most frequently depicted saints in Western art.
What are nicknames for Sebastian?
Seb and Baz are the most common short forms.
How popular is the name Sebastian?
In 2025, Sebastian was given to 8,615 babies in the United States, ranking #16 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Sebastian a girl's or a boy's name?
Sebastian is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Sebastian?
Sebastian has 3 syllables.
When was Sebastian most popular?
Sebastian peaked in 2016, when 10,325 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Sebastian a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sebastian currently ranks #16 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.