Boys' name · since 1881
Sebastian
Sebastian has 218,055 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #173 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #16 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 218,055
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Sebastian is the #16 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 218,055 recorded since 1881.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sebastian has been recorded 218,055 times among boys since 1881, currently ranked #16 nationally and more common than 99.9% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #173 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #16 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 218,055 born since 1881
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sebastian ranks #173 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #16 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 218,055 born since 1881, peaking in the 2010s.
- #173 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #16 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 218,055
- born since 1881
- 2010s
- peak decade
Sebastian's 218,055 recorded births place it above 99.61% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Sebastian compares
218,055 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sebastian's all-time total is 591x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sebastian | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 218,055 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10,309 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sebastian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sebastian splits its recorded history at 1958: 98% of all births land in the more recent half, 2% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1885 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2016 peak of 10,309 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sebastian popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 10,309
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Sebastian popularity over time - girls
408 total births recorded since 1980 (Sebastian as girls' name)
Sebastian by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (86,688 births, 40% of the file).
2010s was Sebastian's strongest decade.
86,688 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Sebastian births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 34
1880s
34 births
- 1890s 43
1890s
43 births
- 1900s 89
1900s
89 births
- 1910s 838
1910s
838 births
- 1920s 1,231
1920s
1,231 births
- 1930s 774
1930s
774 births
- 1940s 574
1940s
574 births
- 1950s 500
1950s
500 births
- 1960s 1,113
1960s
1,113 births
- 1970s 1,413
1970s
1,413 births
- 1980s 2,839
1980s
2,839 births
- 1990s 14,599
1990s
14,599 births
- 2000s
2000s
53,866 births
- 2010s
2010s
86,688 births
- 2020s
2020s
53,454 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 86,688 births (40% of all-time use).
How Sebastian compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sebastian's total volume
Sebastian by state
Where Sebastian concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 46,691 | 21.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 34,466 | 15.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 18,289 | 8.4% |
| #4 | New York | | 15,093 | 6.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 9,476 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 7,112 | 3.3% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 7,089 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 4,588 | 2.1% |
46,691 of 218,055 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sebastian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Sebastian's data
- Sebastian's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (86,688 total births) through the 2020s (53,454) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Sebastians (46,691 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sebastian
Nearby Names Like Sebastian
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sebastian
Compare Sebastian side by side: Sebastian vs Sebastien Sebastian vs Sebastiano Sebastian vs Sebastion
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sebastian
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sebastian: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~144 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sebastian draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.