How popular is the name Sebastian?

Sebastian ranks 172nd among boys' names in US records, with 222,656 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 98,565.

Is Sebastian a unisex name?

No. Sebastian is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

2016, when 10,888 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Sebastien. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#172 of boy names

Pronounced S AH0 B AE1 S CH AH0 N (ARPABET)

Sebastian is a boys' name, and first appears in 1881. It has been given to 222,656 children — the 172nd most common boys' name on record.

It is gaining, with the past decade running 37% ahead of the one before it. Its best single year was 2016, when 10,888 children were given it.

Sebastien is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

2016Boys: 10,888Girls: 16

These spellings sound identical to Sebastian and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Sebastian?: Sebastian ranks 172nd among boys' names in US records, with 222,656 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 98,565.
Is Sebastian a unisex name?: No. Sebastian is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Sebastian most popular?: 2016, when 10,888 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Sebastian spelled?: Sebastien. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.