Sebastian

Se·bas·ti·an
S1E1B3A1S1T1I1A1N1
/səˈbæst͡ʃən/Australia, New Zealand, UK/sɪˈbæsti.ən/Australia, New Zealand, variant/sɪˈbæs.tʃən/

proper noun

A male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.

OriginLatin Sebastiānus ← Ancient Greek Σεβαστός →
CommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.

    Of Messaline: Sebastian was my father; / Such a Sebastian was my brother too, / So went he suited to his watery tomb.

    c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]
    2 more examples

    I was hoping the man would have some romantic name like Sebastian or Julian. However, as a surname Fletcher's all right.

    1968, Robin Maugham, The Second Window, McGraw - Hill, page 275

    “She was a new student. I was a counterculture hero. Back then I went by a different name. Sebastian. Sexy, right? And so much better than Guy. You can't be a counterculture hero and a Guy. That name is way too average. […]

    2016, Nathan Hill, The Nix: A novel, Vintage, →ISBN, page 596
  2. A town in the City of Greater Bendigo and the Shire of Loddon, central Victoria, Australia.
  3. A place in the United States:
    1. A city in Indian River County, Florida.
    2. An unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio.
    3. A census-designated place in Willacy County, Texas.

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΣεβαστός“august, venerable, exalted”
  2. LatinSebastiānus
  3. EnglishSebastian

From Latin Sebastiānus, name of an early Christian saint, from ancient city of Sebaste in Asia Minor (modern Sivas, Turkey), from Ancient Greek Σεβαστός (Sebastós, “august, venerable, exalted”), itself a translation of the Roman title Augustus.

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian Себастиан, Себастиян
  • Себастиан (Sebastian)given name
  • Себастиян (Sebastijan)given name
  • Себастян (Sebastjan)given name
Catalan Sebastià
  • Sebastiàgiven name
Chinese Mandarin 塞巴斯蒂安
  • 塞巴斯蒂安 (Sàibāsīdì'ān)given name
Czech Šebestián
  • Šebestiángiven name
Danish Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name
Dutch Sebastiaan
  • Sebastiaangiven name
Esperanto Sebastiano
  • Sebastianogiven name
French Sébastien
  • Sébastiengiven name
German Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name
Greek Σεβαστιανός
  • Σεβαστιανός (Sevastianós)given name
Hungarian Sebestyén
  • Sebestyéngiven name
Italian Sebastiano
  • Sebastianogiven name
Norwegian Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name
Persian سباستین
  • سباستین (sebâstiyan)given name
Polish Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name
Portuguese Sebastião
  • Sebastiãogiven name
Romanian Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name
Russian Севастья́н, Севастиа́н
  • Севастья́н (Sevastʹján)given name
  • Севастиа́н (Sevastián)given name
  • Себастья́н (Sebastʹján)given name
Spanish Sebastián
  • Sebastiángiven name
Swedish Sebastian
  • Sebastiangiven name

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

bassanite
Cite this entry
APA

Sebastian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sebastian

MLA

“Sebastian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sebastian. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sebastian,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sebastian.

Source: Sebastian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.