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.
From the Greek word "sebastos" meaning venerable or revered.
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 2000 census data.
Sebastian is the 132259th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Sebastian surname appeared 118 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sebastian.
The surname Sebastion traces its origins to several European regions, specifically deriving from Southern Europe. The name has roots in the Latin word "Sebastianus," which refers to a man from the ancient city of Sebaste in modern-day Turkey. Sebaste itself is derived from the Greek word "sebastos," meaning venerable or revered. This suggests that the surname may have initially been used to denote someone from Sebaste or someone who was held in high esteem.
The name Sebastion appeared in many historical records and manuscripts in a variety of spellings, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the regions where it was adopted. One of the earliest recorded instances can be found in 12th century France, evidenced by the surname appearing in various administrative and ecclesiastical documents. Variations such as Sebastien, Sebastião, and Zabastian were also commonly used, indicating regional adaptations of the name.
In England, the name Sebastion does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086 but surfaces in records from the late medieval period, reflecting the influence of European naming conventions after the Norman Conquest. Early examples include a John Sebastion listed in the Court Rolls of Sussex in 1302, pointing to the introduction and gradual acceptance of the surname in the British Isles.
Among notable bearers of the surname Sebastion throughout history, the 15th century saw a prominent figure in Joachim Sebastion, a respected scholar and scribe in the Holy Roman Empire, born in 1432 and passing in 1501. Another significant person was Sebastion de Casablanca, a noted 16th-century Spanish explorer who was born in 1520 and contributed to the mapping of the New World until his death in 1575.
The surname continued to see distinguished bearers in various fields. In the 18th century, Magdalena Sebastion, born in 1710 in the Austrian Empire, was a renowned operatic soprano whose career spanned several European capitals until her death in 1777. In Russia, Alexei Sebastion emerged in the 19th century as an influential literary figure, born in 1834 and contributing significantly to Russian literature before his death in 1892.
In the arts, the 20th century saw the rise of Emilia Sebastion, an Italian painter born in 1899, who gained international acclaim for her work in the early to mid-20th century, passing away in 1968. The lasting legacy of individuals bearing the surname Sebastion attests to its rich and varied historical significance across multiple European regions and centuries.
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:
For the most recent 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sebastian was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 59.32% | 70 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 16.10% | 19 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 4.24% | 5 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 19.49% | 23 |
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.
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.
We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.
If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!
<a href="https://namecensus.com/last-names/sebastion-surname-popularity/">Sebastian last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.
Simple as that.