Sebastian means venerable or revered — from the Latin Sebastianus, meaning from Sebastia. Saint Sebastian, shot with arrows and left for dead, survived (the original action hero) and became the patron saint of athletes. The Little Mermaid's Sebastian the crab made the name children-friendly. It's four syllables of Latin grandeur that work equally in English, Spanish, and German.
Greek Sebastos (venerable)→Latin Sebastianus→English Sebastian
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Greek / Latin roots
Sebastian comes from the Latin Sebastianus, meaning from Sebastia, itself from the Greek sebastos meaning venerable. Saint Sebastian (died c. 288 AD) was a Roman soldier shot with arrows for his Christian faith — he miraculously survived and became the patron saint of athletes. Sebastian Bach was the greatest composer in Western music history. The Little Mermaid's Sebastian the crab gave the name a cheerful pop-culture dimension. The name has entered the US top 20.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: 3rd century — Saint Sebastian was martyred c. 288 AD; widely used across Europe since.
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Today
Sebastian remains a beloved choice, ranking #20 in the US. 209,783 babies have been named Sebastian since 1881.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
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How popular is Sebastian?
2016peak year
Sebastian has settled into a steady rhythm — neither rising sharply nor fading, holding a consistent place in U.S. birth records. It currently ranks in the top fifty (#20), with about 9,508 babies named Sebastian each year. Its all-time peak came in 2016, when it climbed to #23 with 10,308 registrations — the heart of the 2010s. Total registrations across all years since 1880: roughly 209,783.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Sebastian's Life Path 3 is the communicator's number — the saint who survived to tell the tale. People named Sebastian tend to be resilient, expressive, and capable of surviving anything.
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