Seth
Meaning
traditionally translated as 'appointed' or 'placed'; biblical son of Adam and Eve
The story
Seth enters Genesis after catastrophe. Adam and Eve name their third son after Abel's death, and the Hebrew story connects his name with the idea that God has 'appointed' or granted another child. That makes Seth one of the oldest names in the biblical family, yet English speakers used it far less than Adam, Noah, or Samuel for centuries. The American curve wakes slowly after midcentury, climbs through the 1970s and 1980s, reaches its strongest period around the 1990s and 2000s, then falls noticeably into the 2020s. It is a compact generational arc for a name with ancient roots. One syllable gives Seth a modern edge; the story underneath is about continuity after loss. Few names say so much with so little sound.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Seth peaked in the 2000s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
86 people · the #45,833 first name in Brazil · median age 12
Among people named Seth living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 22 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Seth
Most people given the name Seth in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Seth you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Seth deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Seth 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 Seth fits with your family’s names and surname.
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