Find out how popular the last name Sebastian is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sebastian.

Sebastian, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sebastian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sebastian in America

Sebastian is the 2586th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sebastian surname appeared 13,934 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Sebastian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sebastian to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sebastian

The surname Sebastian is of Latin origin, derived from the ancient Roman name Sebastianus. The name is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Turkey or Greece during the Roman Empire.

The root of the name "Sebastian" can be traced back to the Greek words "sebastos" meaning "venerable" or "revered," and "Sebastos" which was a Greek translation of the Latin honorific "Augustus." This suggests that the name may have been associated with nobility or high rank in its early usage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sebastian can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census conducted in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Sebastien" in this document, indicating its use as a surname in England during the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name Sebastian appeared in various medieval records across Europe, including the Pipe Rolls of England and the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Aubin d'Angers in France. These records often referenced individuals with the surname Sebastian in connection with land ownership or legal transactions.

Notable historical figures with the surname Sebastian include:

1. John Sebastian (1616-1696), a renowned English mathematician and theologian, known for his contributions to the study of conic sections.
2. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), one of the most famous composers of the Baroque era, whose works revolutionized Western classical music.
3. Sebastian Cabot (c. 1476-1557), an Italian navigator and explorer who was the first to explore the Arctic waters off the coast of North America.
4. Sebastian Münster (1488-1552), a German cartographer and cosmographer, known for his influential works on geography and his production of early modern maps.
5. Sebastian Virdung (c. 1465-1511), a German musician and writer who authored one of the earliest treatises on musical instruments, titled "Musica getutscht."

The surname Sebastian has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as the town of Saint-Sébastien in France and the city of San Sebastian in Spain, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname or from local churches dedicated to Saint Sebastian.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sebastian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sebastian.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sebastian was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sebastian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sebastian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sebastian, please contact us.

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