Sebastiana
A feminine form of Sebastian, meaning "revered" or "venerable" in Latin.
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the first name Sebastiana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sebastiana today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sebastiana births was 1921 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sebastiana. 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
161
~ 1 in 2,128,909 Americans
Peak year
1921
15 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,207
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Sebastiana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sebastiana from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Sebastiana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sebastiana 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 Sebastiana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sebastianas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sebastiana
The given name Sebastiana is derived from the Latin name Sebastianus, which itself comes from the Greek name Sebastianos. The name has its origins in the ancient Greek word "sebastos", meaning "venerable" or "reverend". It is believed to have been used as a title or epithet for Roman emperors before becoming a personal name.
The name Sebastiana first appeared in the early Christian era, as it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One of the most notable was Saint Sebastiana, a 3rd-century Roman martyr who was killed during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Her feast day is celebrated on January 20th in the Catholic Church.
In the 5th century, Pope Sixtus III built a church in Rome dedicated to Saint Sebastiana, which played a significant role in spreading the name's popularity throughout Europe. During the Middle Ages, the name Sebastiana was particularly popular in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, where it was often given to girls born on the feast day of Saint Sebastiana.
Some notable historical figures who bore the name Sebastiana include Sebastiana of Portugal (1554-1590), a Portuguese princess and granddaughter of King John III; Sebastiana Guzman (1551-1619), a Spanish mystic and founder of the Order of the Conception; and Sebastiana Valier (1637-1711), a Venetian noblewoman and philanthropist.
In the 18th century, Sebastiana Josepha Gabriela de Bragança (1699-1758), an Austrian archduchess and daughter of Emperor Leopold I, was also known by the name Sebastiana. Another notable bearer of the name was Sebastiana Vieira Goulart (1711-1783), a Portuguese nun and writer who authored several works on religious subjects.
Throughout history, the name Sebastiana has been popular in various cultures and regions, particularly those with strong Catholic traditions. While its usage has fluctuated over time, it has remained a relatively common name, especially in certain parts of Europe and Latin America.
People
Sebastiana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sebastiana 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
Sebastiana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sebastiana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sebastiana 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 2,128,909 US residents.
Is Sebastiana a common name?
We classify Sebastiana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 332 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sebastiana most popular?
The single biggest year for Sebastiana was 1921, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sebastiana is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sebastiana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sebastiana in the SSA data are female. 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.