boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Sebastian

Meaning august, venerable, exalted Gender Boy Rank 2025 #16 Trend → Stable

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…

Rank 2025
#16
among boys · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
8,615
named Sebastian
How common
1 in 198
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
10,325 babies
All-time total
218,463
#173 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Sebastian popularity over time

218,463 babies have been named Sebastian since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 34 34 3 – #642
1890s – 43 43 4 +26% #680
1900s – 89 89 9 +107% #708
1910s – 838 838 84 +842% #493
1920s – 1,231 1,231 123 +47% #520
1930s – 774 774 77 -37% #568
1940s – 574 574 57 -26% #736
1950s – 500 500 50 -13% #961
1960s – 1,113 1,113 111 +123% #631
1970s – 1,413 1,413 141 +27% #608
1980s 17 2,839 2,856 286 +102% #411
1990s 65 14,599 14,664 1,466 +413% #152
2000s 135 53,866 54,001 5,400 +268% #70
2010s 123 86,688 86,811 8,681 +61% #18
2020s (to 2025) 68 53,454 53,522 8,920 +3% #13

Where Sebastian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 8,503 4.98 #18
2027 8,417 4.93 #18
2028 8,345 4.89 #18
2029 8,284 4.85 #19
2030 8,232 4.82 #19

Where Sebastian is most popular

Boys named Sebastian per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 5.14 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, California, and New Mexico.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sebastian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 626 11.0 +113%
California 9,914 10.8 +111%
New Mexico 324 9.83 +91%
Arizona 1,478 9.03 +76%
Texas 7,752 8.80 +71%
District of Columbia 129 8.74 +70%
Delaware 112 7.39 +44%
Rhode Island 114 6.99 +36%
Illinois 1,750 6.85 +33%
Oregon 503 6.63 +29%
Colorado 847 6.56 +28%
Florida 3,065 6.47 +26%
New Jersey 1,212 6.02 +17%
Connecticut 399 5.89 +15%
Wyoming 34 5.88 +14%
Alaska 64 5.37 ≈ national
Kansas 351 5.12 ≈ national
Washington 836 5.11 ≈ national
Oklahoma 449 5.08 ≈ national
Arkansas 316 4.99 ≈ national
Nebraska 217 4.99 ≈ national
North Carolina 1,256 4.92 ≈ national
Idaho 201 4.91 -5%
New York 2,075 4.79 -7%
Massachusetts 626 4.55 -11%
Maryland 517 4.34 -16%
Virginia 808 4.26 -17%
Indiana 658 4.10 -20%
Georgia 1,030 4.07 -21%
Utah 386 4.04 -21%
Wisconsin 461 3.89 -24%
Vermont 24 3.82 -26%
Hawaii 59 3.80 -26%
North Dakota 64 3.75 -27%
Iowa 255 3.70 -28%
South Carolina 382 3.70 -28%
South Dakota 64 3.44 -33%
Tennessee 613 3.40 -34%
Pennsylvania 897 3.38 -34%
Minnesota 409 3.33 -35%
Kentucky 327 3.26 -37%
Louisiana 332 3.25 -37%
Missouri 431 3.11 -40%
Maine 60 3.09 -40%
Michigan 630 3.08 -40%
Montana 54 3.06 -40%
West Virginia 92 2.82 -45%
Alabama 306 2.80 -46%
Ohio 719 2.71 -47%
New Hampshire 59 2.66 -48%
Mississippi 128 2.25 -56%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sebastian

Sebastian is a top-50 name for boys in the United States, ranked #16 in 2025 with 8,605 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 218,463 American babies have been named Sebastian. Its peak came in 2016, when 10,325 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sebastian stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sebastian?

The median living Sebastian is about 11 years old; half are between 5 and 19. An estimated 213 thousand people named Sebastian are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sebastian year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 10 #9,995 8,605 #16
2024 19 #6,362 8,593 #14
2023 15 #7,581 8,892 #13
2022 5 #17,368 9,403 #13
2021 12 #8,899 8,932 #19
2020 7 #13,252 9,029 #19
2019 14 #8,076 9,884 #18
2018 11 #9,716 10,137 #18
2017 13 #8,713 10,197 #23
2016 16 #7,550 10,309 #23
2015 21 #6,205 9,632 #35
2014 10 #10,824 9,315 #34
2013 8 #12,962 7,553 #46
2012 13 #9,039 6,744 #64
2011 11 #10,282 6,551 #68
2010 6 #16,633 6,366 #68
2009 7 #14,973 5,993 #70
2008 13 #9,399 6,041 #74
2007 13 #9,452 6,274 #73
2006 18 #7,094 6,287 #76
2005 12 #9,356 4,956 #86
2004 25 #5,186 4,521 #97
2003 9 #11,172 4,649 #93
2002 19 #6,082 5,137 #80
2001 10 #9,970 4,979 #81
2000 9 #10,588 5,029 #81
1995 10 #8,623 1,435 #207
1990 – – 790 #320
1985 – – 288 #515
1980 5 #11,769 168 #669
1975 – – 127 #739
1970 – – 165 #633
1965 – – 104 #731
1960 – – 69 #915
1955 – – 56 #1,009
1950 – – 42 #1,103
1945 – – 47 #951
1940 – – 51 #889
1935 – – 79 #676
1930 – – 113 #568
1925 – – 108 #609
1920 – – 139 #520
1915 – – 112 #527
1910 – – 14 #855
1905 – – 10 #830
1900 – – – –
1895 – – 8 #861
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #1,079
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sebastian

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sebastian Stan Sebastian Stan Romanian and American actor (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel German racing driver (born 1987) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sebastian Bach Sebastian Bach Canadian singer (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sebastian Roché Sebastian Roché French actor (born 1964) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sebastian Cabot Sebastian Cabot English actor (1918–1977) Contemporary
  6. 6 Sebastian Coe Sebastian Coe British athlete and politician (born 1956) Contemporary
  7. 7 Sebastian Koch Sebastian Koch German actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  8. 8 Sebastian Kurz Sebastian Kurz Chancellor of Austria (2017–2019, 2020–2021) b. 1986 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Sebastian Shaw Sebastian Shaw English actor, director and writer (1905–1994) Contemporary
  10. 10 Sebastian Ingrosso Sebastian Ingrosso Swedish DJ and music producer (born 1983) Contemporary
  11. 11 Sebastian Faulks Sebastian Faulks British novelist, journalist and broadcaster b. 1953 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Sebastian of Portugal Sebastian of Portugal King of Portugal from 1557 to 1578 1554–1578 · 16th century
  13. 13 Sebastian Kehl Sebastian Kehl German football player and executive (born 1980) Contemporary
  14. 14 Sebastian Deisler Sebastian Deisler German footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  15. 15 Sebastian Rudy Sebastian Rudy German footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  16. 16 Sebastian Cabot Sebastian Cabot Venetian explorer (c. 1474 – c. 1557) 1484–1557 · Medieval
  17. 17 Sebastian Haffner Sebastian Haffner German journalist and author (1907–1999) Contemporary
  18. 18 Sebastian Kneipp Sebastian Kneipp 19th-century German clergyman and health researcher 1821–1897 · 19th century
  19. 19 Sebastian Rode Sebastian Rode German footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  20. 20 Sebastian Münster Sebastian Münster German cartographer, cosmographer, and scholar (1488–1552) Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sebastian, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sebastian?

The median living Sebastian is about 11 years old. Half of all living Sebastians are between 5 and 19 years old.

How many people named Sebastian are alive today?

An estimated 213 thousand people named Sebastian are alive in the United States, based on 218,463 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sebastian mean?

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…

How popular is the name Sebastian in 2025?

Sebastian ranked #16 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 8,605 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sebastian?

218,463 babies have been named Sebastian in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sebastian most popular?

Sebastian peaked in 2016, when 10,325 newborns received the name.

Is Sebastian a boy or girl name?

Sebastian is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sebastian rising or falling?

Sebastian has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Sebastian become more popular?

Sebastian looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 8,232 boys named Sebastian in 2030, ranking around #19. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sebastian?

Well-known people named Sebastian include Sebastian Stan (actor), Sebastian Vettel (racing driver), Sebastian Bach (singer).

Names like Sebastian

Names that sound and feel close to Sebastian: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sebastian with similar names → More names starting with S →