Bastien
A French masculine name derived from the Greek name Sebastianos meaning "revered" or "honored".
Name Census estimates that about 285 living Americans carry the first name Bastien. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bastien today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bastien births was 2021 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bastien. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
285
~ 1 in 1,202,647 Americans
Peak year
2021
26 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,069
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Bastien: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bastien from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 138 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bastien remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bastien by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bastien during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bastiens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bastien
The name Bastien has its origins in the French language and can be traced back to the Late Latin name Sebastianus. This name was derived from the Greek word "sebastos," meaning "venerable" or "revered."
The name Sebastianus was initially associated with the cult of the emperor in ancient Rome, where it was used to honor the emperor's majesty. However, it later gained popularity among early Christians due to the veneration of St. Sebastian, a 3rd-century martyr who was believed to have been a member of the Praetorian Guard in Rome.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bastien can be found in the 6th century, when a Frankish nobleman named Bastien (or Bassen) served as a courtier under the Merovingian King Childebert I. This connection suggests that the name may have been adopted by the Franks from the Gallo-Roman population in what is now modern-day France.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Bastien remained prevalent in various parts of Europe, particularly in France and the Low Countries. During this period, several notable figures bore the name, including Bastien of Nîmes (c. 1020-1090), a French monk and scholar who wrote extensively on theology and philosophy.
In the 13th century, a French knight named Bastien de Bouillon (c. 1210-1277) gained renown for his participation in the Seventh Crusade and his subsequent service as a military commander under Louis IX of France.
Another prominent figure was Bastien de Saint-Nectaire (c. 1335-1412), a French nobleman who served as a Marshal of France and played a crucial role in the Hundred Years' War against England.
During the Renaissance, the name Bastien was associated with several notable artists and intellectuals. One of the most famous was the French painter Bastien Le Prince (c. 1500-1550), who is considered one of the pioneers of the Fontainebleau School of painting.
In the 17th century, the name gained further recognition through the French playwright Bastien Baro (1600-1676), who wrote numerous comedies and tragedies that were performed at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris.
Throughout history, the name Bastien has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including writers, musicians, scientists, and politicians. While its popularity has waxed and waned over time, it remains a testament to the enduring cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the naming traditions across Europe.
People
Bastien + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bastien as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bastien: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bastien?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 285 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bastien going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,202,647 US residents.
Is Bastien a common name?
We classify Bastien as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 287 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bastien most popular?
The single biggest year for Bastien was 2021, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bastien is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bastien a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bastien in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.