Sebastia
A feminine Greek name meaning "revered" or "venerable".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Sebastia. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sebastia today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sebastia births was 1989 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sebastia. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sebastia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1989
11 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1989 SSA rank
#4,760
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Sebastia: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sebastia 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 Sebastia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Geography
Where Sebastias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sebastia
The name Sebastia is derived from the Greek name Sebastianos, which is ultimately from the Greek word "sebastos" meaning "venerable" or "august". This root can be traced back to the ancient Greek verb "sebomai", meaning "to revere" or "to worship".
The name gained popularity in early Christianity, as it was borne by several early saints and martyrs. One of the most notable was Saint Sebastian, a 3rd century Roman soldier who was martyred for his Christian faith during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian. His legend and cult following helped spread the name throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.
In the Byzantine Empire, the name Sebastia was used as a title for high-ranking officials and members of the imperial family. It is also found in some early Christian texts and hagiographies recounting the lives of saints and martyrs.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is Sebastia, a city in ancient Armenia founded by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BC. The city was named in honor of the emperor's father, Seleucus I Nicator, whose surname was Sebastos.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Sebastia. These include Sebastia of Portugal (1428-1492), a Portuguese infanta and daughter of King John I; Sebastia Gomez de la Cueva (1518-1598), a Spanish noble and military leader; and Sebastia de Aparicio (1502-1600), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and saint.
In the 16th century, the name Sebastia was used by the French poet and playwright Robert Garnier (1544-1590) for the title character in his tragedy "La Tragédie de Sébastien Roy de Portugal". This play recounted the life and tragic death of King Sebastian I of Portugal, who died in battle against the Moors in 1578.
Another notable figure was Sebastia Schertzer (1496-1543), an Austrian composer and musician who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
People
Sebastia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sebastia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sebastia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sebastia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sebastia 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Sebastia a common name?
We classify Sebastia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sebastia most popular?
The single biggest year for Sebastia was 1989, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sebastia is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sebastia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sebastia a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sebastia 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.
Is Sebastia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sebastia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sebastia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Sebastia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.