2000
#3,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.03
Uncommon Last name
Sebastian
A surname of Greek origin meaning "venerable" or "revered," derived from the Greek name Sebastianos.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,258 Americans carry the last name Sebastian. That puts it at #2,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sebastian surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sebastian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,082
Census rank
#2,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,178 bearers of the surname Sebastian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebastian, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sebastian
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebastian, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sebastian bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sebastian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.8% · 6,493
- Hispanic or Latino29.4% · 4,175
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.6% · 2,642
- Two or more races2.9% · 408
- Black or African American2.4% · 337
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sebastian
Sebastian appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,934
+3,056 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 4.72
Rank movement Up 469 places
2020
#2,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,178
+244 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.74
Rank movement Up 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,055 | 10,878 | 4.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,586 | 13,934 | 4.72 | +3,056 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 469 places |
| 2020 | #2,480 | 14,178 | 4.74 | +244 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 106 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sebastian surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,586 | #2,480 | 4.1% |
| Count | 13,934 | 14,178 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.72 | 4.74 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sebastian bearers went from 13,934 to 14,178 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,586 to #2,480.
FAQ
Sebastian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sebastian?
Name Census estimates that about 16,258 living Americans carry the surname Sebastian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,082 residents.
How common is Sebastian?
Sebastian ranks #2,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,178 people with the surname Sebastian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Sebastian.
Has Sebastian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sebastian went from 13,934 recorded bearers to 14,178. That is an increase of 244 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,586 to #2,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Sebastian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebastian, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sebastian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.8% (6,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sebastian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.8%), Hispanic (29.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sebastian (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sebastian mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "venerable" or "revered," derived from the Greek name Sebastianos. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sebastian (4.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Sebastian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.