Sebastian
Meaning
"from Sebaste," a city named with sebastos, "venerable," the Greek title for Augustus; the martyr saint gave it to all of Catholic Europe, and its four-syllable dignity made it a modern favorite from Mexico to Germany. Seb and Bash keep it light
Goes by Bas, Bash, Bastian, Seb, and 1 more
Also written Sebastián.
The story
Sebastian begins with a place and an imperial title. The Latin Sebastianus meant a person from Sebaste, a city whose Greek name came from sebastos, venerable, the Greek equivalent of Augustus. Saint Sebastian gave the name its most enduring image. According to tradition, Roman soldiers shot him with arrows and left him for dead; he survived that first execution, returned to confront the emperor, and was killed later. Renaissance artists repeatedly painted the arrow scene, turning one episode into an icon of endurance. The name then moved into very different worlds. Johann Sebastian Bach placed it at the center of musical history, while Disney's Sebastian the crab brought wit, worry, and calypso to The Little Mermaid. Sebastián in Spanish and Sebastião in Portuguese keep their own accents and rhythms. Few names can travel from an ancient city to a cathedral, a concert hall, and an animated reef without feeling like a costume.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Sebastian peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
5,973 people · the #2,423 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 34,483 · median age 9
Among people named Sebastian living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 1,413 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Sebastian
Most people given the name Sebastian in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Sebastian deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Sebastian truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Sebastian fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Sebastian travels
Mexican American · venerable, revered; a crossover favorite that works easily in English and Spanish
Global crossover · venerable, revered (from Sebastianus); a chart-topping name in Sweden and Germany and a fast climber in the US
Keep exploring
Names like Sebastian · Nicknames for Sebastian · Middle names for Sebastian · Global crossover names · Mexican American baby names
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