Sebastian (name)

Sebastian (name)

Sebastian is a masculine given name. It comes from the Latin name Sebastianus meaning 'from Sebaste'. Sebaste is the name of a town in Asia Minor (present-day Sivas), derived from the Greek word σεβαστός (sebastos), "venerable", which comes from σέβας (sebas), "awe, reverence, dread", in turn from the verb σέβομαι (sebomai), "feel awe, scruple, be ashamed". Sebastos was the Greek translation of the title Augustus, which was used for Roman emperors. Sebastian became a widely used name because it was the name of Saint Sebastian, a third century Christian martyr.

The name has been increasing in popularity in different countries. In the United States, it was the 98th most popular name for boys born in 2008. It was the 86th most popular name for boys born in England and Wales in 2007, the 38th most popular name for boys born in Sweden in 2007, the 13th most popular name for boys born in Norway in 2007, the fifth most popular name for boys born in Chile in 2006, It was the 59th most popular name for boys born in New South Wales, Australia in 2007.