Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Sebastian

Say it sih-BAS-chun 3 syllables

Latin · “august, venerable, exalted”

Loved in Estonia. Common in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 10 more places. Rare in France, Israel, the Netherlands, and 13 more places.

1 in 252 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 47 there.

Sebastian in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 13, rare in 16.
Sebastian in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales47 (down)20251,0771 in 252392020
Scotland152 (down)2025291 in 6771102020
Northern Ireland159 (down)2025141 in 5921192020
Ireland125 (down)2025461 in 516972020
North America
Ontario (province)60 (down)2024191about 1 in 313472019
Quebec (province)242 (up)202521about 1 in 1,3832812020
British Columbia (province)58 (up)202347about 1 in 277682018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)31 (up)2025179362020
Victoria (state)29 (up)2025183332020
Queensland (state)362025124362020
South Australia (state)22202549222020
New Zealand78 (up)202551792020
Western Europe
France920 (down)2025501 in 6,0547732020
Netherlands537 (down)202526about 1 in 2,5593712020
Central Europe
Austria44 (down)20251861 in 205292020
Switzerland202 (down)2025441 in 8181602020
Berlin (city)381 (down)20238about 1 in 1,9391442018
Munich (city)91 (down)202513about 1 in 336602020
Cologne (city)325 (down)20235about 1 in 1,276732018
Bonn (city)256 (down)20252about 1 in 1,5851262020
Leipzig (city)127 (up)20254about 1 in 7194032020
Rostock (city)172 (up)20251about 1 in 1,0472122020
Nordic countries
Norway53 (down)20251311 in 178342020
Sweden170 (down)202559about 1 in 7311102020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)146 (up)2025301 in 6901812020
Italy93 (down)20242941 in 644792019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland86 (down)20252061 in 614572020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Estonia4 (up)20257552020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Sebastian was the name of an early Christian saint. It comes from Latin Sebastiānus, from the ancient city of Sebaste in Asia Minor, and from the Greek Sebastós, 'august, venerable, exalted', a translation of the Roman title Augustus.

2 more paragraphs

It has three syllables, sih-BAS-chun, and a smooth, dignified sound. Seb and Bastian are the obvious short forms, and related names include Sebastiano, Sebastião and Basti.

Sebastian is popular in Estonia and appears in the lists in Austria and Norway. In English-speaking countries it ranks well in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Canadian records show a peak in the mid-2010s, and it is now falling in most of the places that record it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
sih-BAS-chun · 3 syllables · Stress on beat 2 of 3.
Meaning
“august, venerable, exalted”
Origin
Latin and Greek
Related names
Bastian, Sebastiano, Seb, Sebastianus, Basti, Sebastião, Bast, Sebastin, Sébastien, Szebasztián, Sebastiaan, Sebastià, Sebastiaen, Sebastjan
Where Sebastian comes from (Wiktionary)

From Latin Sebastiānus, name of an early Christian saint, from ancient city of Sebaste in Asia Minor (modern Sivas, Turkey), from Ancient Greek Σεβαστός (Sebastós, “august, venerable, exalted”), itself a translation of the Roman title Augustus.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Sebastian. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sebastian over time

Rising in 3 of the 27 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 14. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2015.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Sebastian in England and Wales: #114 in 1996, a peak of #28 in 2018, and #47 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #114, 395 boys1997: #113, 395 boys1998: #112, 422 boys1999: #112, 425 boys2000: #111, 416 boys2001: #106, 432 boys2002: #96, 527 boys2003: #88, 637 boys2004: #90, 644 boys2005: #89, 692 boys2006: #94, 715 boys2007: #87, 798 boys2008: #77, 914 boys2009: #62, 1,073 boys2010: #58, 1,242 boys2011: #47, 1,493 boys2012: #41, 1,705 boys2013: #38, 1,828 boys2014: #38, 1,965 boys2015: #35, 1,988 boys2016: #36, 1,990 boys2017: #35, 1,881 boys2018: #28, 1,964 boys2019: #34, 1,678 boys2020: #39, 1,435 boys2021: #38, 1,516 boys2022: #39, 1,409 boys2023: #42, 1,313 boys2024: #45, 1,116 boys2025: #47, 1,077 boys#114 in 1996peak #28, 2018#47in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996114395
1997113395
1998112422
1999112425
2000111416
2001106432
200296527
200388637
200490644
200589692
200694715
200787798
200877914
2009621,073
2010581,242
2011471,493
2012411,705
2013381,828
2014381,965
2015351,988
2016361,990
2017351,881
2018281,964
2019341,678
2020391,435
2021381,516
2022391,409
2023421,313
2024451,116
2025471,077

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Sebastian in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2011. Peak: 2015, about 482 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 12.4 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 13.9 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 20.5 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 48.9 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 101.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 165.9 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 285.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 338.5 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 417.1 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 449.1 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 351.7 per 100,000 boys20202015-2019: about 1 in 223 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19691.3
1970–197412.4
1975–197913.9
1980–198420.5
1985–198948.9
1990–1994101.4
1995–1999165.9
2000–2004285.3
2005–2009338.5
2010–2014417.1
2015–2019449.1
2020–2024351.7

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Sebastian

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Sebastian, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 169, Ireland

  2. 1 in 128, Ireland

  3. 1 in 1,105, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 614, Scotland

  5. 1 in 197, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 83, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 130, Scotland

  8. 1 in 670, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 164, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 731, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Sebastian

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Sebastian's 3 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Sebastian Jack

Syllables 3-1Initials S.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Sebastian

Sisters for Sebastian: Lucy, Zoe, Maya, and 5 more
  1. LucyRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  2. ZoeRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  3. MayaRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  4. AuroraRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  5. StellaRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian · Same initial as Sebastian
  6. ArianaRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  7. EvaRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian
  8. SophiaRose and fell with Sebastian · Same generation as Sebastian · Same initial as Sebastian

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Sebastian

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Sebastian's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Loved across the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and 7 more places.

  2. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 19 more places.

  3. Loved across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, the Nordic countries, and 9 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  6. Common in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and 14 more places.

  7. Common across three Canadian provinces, Israel, Sweden, and 10 more places.

  8. Common across France, the UK, three Nordic countries, and 11 more places.

Famous people named Sebastian

Sebastian Vettel, Sebastián Piñera, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Sebastian

How popular is Sebastian in South Australia?

Sebastian ranked #22 in South Australia in 2025, given to 49 boys.

Is Sebastian rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 3 of the 27 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 14. Rising in: Leipzig, Rostock, and Catalonia.

What does Sebastian mean?

Sebastian means “august, venerable, exalted”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Sebastian have?

Sebastian has 3 syllables: sih-BAS-chun.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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