Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. zeh-BAS-tee-an(German) sə-BAS-chən(American English) sə-BAS-tee-ən(British English) seh-BAS-dyan(Danish) seh-BAS-tyan(Polish) SEH-bahs-tee-ahn(Finnish) seh-bas-tee-AN(Romanian) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From the Latin name Sebastianus, which meant "from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition, Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.

Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in medieval Europe, especially in Spain and France. It was also borne by a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.

Related Names

VariantsSebastián, Šebestián(Czech)
DiminutivesBastian(German) Seppo, Sepi(Finnish)
Other Languages & CulturesSebastijan(Croatian) Sebastiaan, Bas, Bastiaan(Dutch) Seppe(Flemish) Sébastien, Bastien(French) Sebestyén, Szebasztián(Hungarian) Sebastiano(Italian) Sebastianus(Late Roman) Sebastião(Portuguese) Sevastian, Sevastyan(Russian) Sebastijan, Sebastjan, Boštjan(Slovene) Sebastián(Spanish)
Same SpellingSebastián
User SubmissionSebastían

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   complex   serious  

Name Days

Austria: January 20
Denmark: January 20
Finland: January 20
Germany: January 20
Norway: January 20
Poland: January 20
Poland: January 30
Poland: February 8
Poland: December 31
Sweden: January 20

Images

Engraving of Saint Sebastian by Dürer (1500)Engraving of Saint Sebastian by Dürer (1500)

Categories

Entry updated June 9, 2023