Sebastian is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sebastian means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sebastian across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sebastian has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sebastian is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “from Sebaste, venerable”. borne by an early Christian martyr.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 218,463 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 32,569 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,137 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 380 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,372 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,468 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sebastian per year, United States (1881 to 2025). United States peaked in 2016 (10,325/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2016 (1,990/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2014 (91/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2014 (70/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2015 (29/yr).
Sebastian has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2016, when it ranked #40 nationally (given to 12,480 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2010s.
Sabastian · Sebastiana · Sebastion · Sebastiano · Sabastion · Zebastian · Cebastian · Sebaztian
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