The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Sebastian!

Comments and insights on the name Sebastian: | Edit

I named my first son Sebastian and everyone loves his name. We call him Sebby for short. He is a beautiful blond hair, blue-eyed boy, and everyone is attracted to his radiant energy and lively smile. He fits his name perfectly and we love it!

Personal experiences with the name Sebastian: | Edit

I have two sons and we called our eldest Sebastian. He was known as Sebastian for the first year of his life and now he is Seb. People get it confused with Seth a lot which is irritating!
Some people think that it sounds pretentious but I think it's a lovely, sophisticated name

Nicknames for Sebastian: | Edit

Bas, Basti, Bastian, Bastien, Baz, Seb, Sebas, Sebasti, Sebi, Sebby, Sabby, Basy, Basi, Basten, Base, Bass, Sab, Astian, Astin, Asy, Asie, Ian, Bash, Bazzy, Baba

Meanings and history of the name Sebastian: | Edit

Many baby name books give the meaning of Sebastian as "from Sebastia" which was an area in the ancient Roman empire located today in the West Bank. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastia,_Nablus) However, it is likely a derivation of the Latin name Sebastianus, itself derived from he Greek word "sebastos" meaning "venerable" and closely related to the Latin "augustus" of the same meaning.

St. Sebastian is said to have been one of the Emperor Diocletian's Praetorian Guards who was secretly a Christian. He was said to have protected many Christians during Diocletian's persecution of them and to have converted many more. When his secret was discovered, Diocletian had him shot through with arrows (a thousand some stories say) which he survived, only to be later be beaten to death and thrown in a privy.

Famous real-life people named Sebastian: | Edit

Sebastian Coe, four time olympic gold medal winner
Sebastian Junger, author
Sebastian Cabot, English actor best known as butler "Mr. French" on the 1960s TV series "Family Affair"
Johann Sebastian Bach, composer
Sebastian Bach, rock singer
Sebastián Piñera, Chilean businessman and presidential candidate
St. Sebastian (patron saint of soldiers and athletes)
Sébastien Izambard - singer of IL Divo
Sébastien Loeb, Rally Car Racing Driver
Sebastian Vettel, Formula One Racing Driver
Sebastian Janikowski, NFL football player

Sebastian in song, story & screen: | Edit

Sebastian Valmont (played by Ryan Phillipe) Cruel Intentions (1999)
Bastian Balthazar Bux, protagonist of The Never-Ending Story.
Sebastian Flyte, a prominent character in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited.
Scottish indie-rock band Belle and Sebastian
Sebastian and Viola are siblings in Vita Sackville-West's novel "The Edwardians"
Sebastian and Viola are twins in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"
Sebastian the Crab in Disney's The Little Mermaid