Sebastian
Sebastian was given to 8,605 boys in 2025, #16 among boys’ names; 218,463 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 212,000 Americans named Sebastian and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (97% of everyone recorded); the median is 12 years old and half are between 6 and 20.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sebastian by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sebastian mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sebastian is “a male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the sense “august, venerable, exalted” (Σεβαστός).
From Latin Sebastiānus, name of an early Christian saint, from ancient city of Sebaste in Asia Minor (modern Sivas, Turkey), from Ancient Greek Σεβαστός (Sebastós, “august, venerable, exalted”), itself a translation of the Roman title Augustus.
/səˈbæst͡ʃən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sebastian?
#16 among boys’ names, 2025
Sebastian rose from #35 in 2015 to #16 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born held at 5.0 per 1,000.
10,325 babies in 2016, the peak
Sebastian peaked in 2016, when 10,325 babies were given it (10,309 boys, #23 among boys’ names). The 8,615 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 83% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,605 | #16 | 5.0 |
| 2024 | 8,593 | #14 | 5.0 |
| 2023 | 8,892 | #13 | 5.2 |
| 2022 | 9,403 | #13 | 5.4 |
| 2021 | 8,932 | #19 | 5.1 |
| 2020 | 9,029 | #19 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 9,884 | #18 | 5.5 |
| 2018 | 10,137 | #18 | 5.6 |
| 2017 | 10,197 | #23 | 5.5 |
| 2016 | 10,309 | #23 | 5.4 |
Every recorded year (136)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 9,632 | #35 | 5.0 |
| 2014 | 9,315 | #34 | 4.8 |
| 2013 | 7,553 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 2012 | 6,744 | #64 | 3.6 |
| 2011 | 6,551 | #68 | 3.4 |
| 2010 | 6,366 | #68 | 3.3 |
| 2009 | 5,993 | #70 | 3.0 |
| 2008 | 6,041 | #74 | 3.0 |
| 2007 | 6,274 | #73 | 3.0 |
| 2006 | 6,287 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 2005 | 4,956 | #86 | 2.5 |
| 2004 | 4,521 | #97 | 2.3 |
| 2003 | 4,649 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 2002 | 5,137 | #80 | 2.6 |
| 2001 | 4,979 | #81 | 2.6 |
| 2000 | 5,029 | #81 | 2.6 |
| 1999 | 2,378 | #152 | 1.2 |
| 1998 | 1,697 | #198 | 0.89 |
| 1997 | 1,768 | #189 | 0.94 |
| 1996 | 1,590 | #195 | 0.84 |
| 1995 | 1,435 | #207 | 0.75 |
| 1994 | 1,304 | #223 | 0.67 |
| 1993 | 1,308 | #227 | 0.67 |
| 1992 | 1,296 | #229 | 0.65 |
| 1991 | 1,033 | #262 | 0.51 |
| 1990 | 790 | #320 | 0.38 |
| 1989 | 522 | #411 | 0.26 |
| 1988 | 397 | #455 | 0.21 |
| 1987 | 354 | #472 | 0.19 |
| 1986 | 281 | #528 | 0.15 |
| 1985 | 288 | #515 | 0.16 |
| 1984 | 242 | #555 | 0.13 |
| 1983 | 192 | #618 | 0.11 |
| 1982 | 220 | #581 | 0.12 |
| 1981 | 175 | #643 | 0.10 |
| 1980 | 168 | #669 | 0.09 |
| 1979 | 137 | #739 | 0.08 |
| 1978 | 143 | #703 | 0.09 |
| 1977 | 120 | #782 | 0.07 |
| 1976 | 124 | #747 | 0.08 |
| 1975 | 127 | #739 | 0.08 |
| 1974 | 125 | #729 | 0.08 |
| 1973 | 129 | #708 | 0.08 |
| 1972 | 155 | #638 | 0.10 |
| 1971 | 188 | #608 | 0.11 |
| 1970 | 165 | #633 | 0.09 |
| 1969 | 116 | #725 | 0.06 |
| 1968 | 116 | #702 | 0.07 |
| 1967 | 115 | #695 | 0.07 |
| 1966 | 99 | #744 | 0.06 |
| 1965 | 104 | #731 | 0.06 |
| 1964 | 129 | #681 | 0.06 |
| 1963 | 109 | #744 | 0.05 |
| 1962 | 151 | #631 | 0.07 |
| 1961 | 105 | #752 | 0.05 |
| 1960 | 69 | #914 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 53 | #1,065 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 63 | #960 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 50 | #1,086 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 42 | #1,187 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 56 | #1,008 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 47 | #1,098 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 52 | #1,013 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 51 | #1,011 | 0.03 |
| 1951 | 44 | #1,092 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 42 | #1,102 | 0.02 |
| 1949 | 51 | #982 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 70 | #819 | 0.04 |
| 1947 | 56 | #953 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 55 | #896 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 47 | #951 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 47 | #946 | 0.03 |
| 1943 | 60 | #866 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 77 | #736 | 0.06 |
| 1941 | 60 | #826 | 0.05 |
| 1940 | 51 | #889 | 0.04 |
| 1939 | 53 | #844 | 0.05 |
| 1938 | 65 | #762 | 0.06 |
| 1937 | 62 | #786 | 0.06 |
| 1936 | 65 | #753 | 0.06 |
| 1935 | 79 | #676 | 0.08 |
| 1934 | 81 | #677 | 0.08 |
| 1933 | 75 | #693 | 0.08 |
| 1932 | 87 | #655 | 0.08 |
| 1931 | 94 | #615 | 0.09 |
| 1930 | 113 | #568 | 0.10 |
| 1929 | 97 | #618 | 0.09 |
| 1928 | 128 | #541 | 0.12 |
| 1927 | 104 | #616 | 0.09 |
| 1926 | 131 | #532 | 0.12 |
| 1925 | 108 | #609 | 0.10 |
| 1924 | 137 | #543 | 0.12 |
| 1923 | 130 | #536 | 0.12 |
| 1922 | 127 | #565 | 0.12 |
| 1921 | 130 | #548 | 0.12 |
| 1920 | 139 | #520 | 0.13 |
| 1919 | 126 | #530 | 0.13 |
| 1918 | 114 | #570 | 0.11 |
| 1917 | 122 | #524 | 0.13 |
| 1916 | 134 | #493 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 112 | #527 | 0.13 |
| 1914 | 82 | #545 | 0.13 |
| 1913 | 63 | #549 | 0.12 |
| 1912 | 51 | #567 | 0.12 |
| 1911 | 20 | #728 | 0.09 |
| 1910 | 14 | #855 | 0.07 |
| 1909 | 14 | #801 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 15 | #708 | 0.10 |
| 1907 | 12 | #806 | 0.08 |
| 1906 | 5 | #1,390 | 0.04 |
| 1905 | 10 | #830 | 0.08 |
| 1904 | 9 | #866 | 0.07 |
| 1903 | 11 | #727 | 0.09 |
| 1902 | 5 | #1,290 | 0.04 |
| 1901 | 8 | #845 | 0.08 |
| 1899 | 6 | #1,038 | 0.06 |
| 1898 | 8 | #879 | 0.07 |
| 1896 | 5 | #1,244 | 0.04 |
| 1895 | 8 | #860 | 0.07 |
| 1894 | 5 | #1,211 | 0.04 |
| 1892 | 11 | #679 | 0.09 |
| 1889 | 6 | #959 | 0.05 |
| 1886 | 7 | #835 | 0.06 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,078 | 0.05 |
| 1882 | 10 | #642 | 0.09 |
| 1881 | 6 | #850 | 0.06 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Sebastian a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Sebastian has been given almost only to boys: 408 girls in 136 years of records.
Girls and boys named Sebastian: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sebastian, and how old are they?
212,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 97% of the 218,463 Americans ever recorded as Sebastian. The median Sebastian alive today is 12 years old; half are between 6 and 20.
The 2020 Census counted 156,144 people named Sebastian (489 women and girls, 155,655 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 162,174 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 215 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 890 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,890 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 11,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 78,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 120,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Sebastian born?
The states with the most babies named Sebastian are California, Texas and Florida, with 47% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,954 | #5 | 1.7× |
| Texas | 1,498 | #5 | 1.5× |
| Florida | 602 | #15 | 1.5× |
| Illinois | 360 | #10 | 1.1× |
| New York | 330 | #47 | 1.1× |
| Arizona | 277 | #7 | 1.4× |
| North Carolina | 231 | #37 | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 220 | #32 | 0.6× |
| New Jersey | 217 | #28 | 1.1× |
| Washington | 170 | #28 | 0.8× |
Where Sebastian is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sebastian is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Sebastian with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 6 names spelled alike, given to 224,163 babies since 1880, Sebastian is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 8,615 of their 8,698 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Sebastian
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Sebastian and names like it
- Compare Sebastian and SebastienBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sSebastian peaked in 2016.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sebastian since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Sebastian: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2016The year the most babies were named Sebastian.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Sebastian alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with SMost given first.