Sebastian
Saint Sebastian is largely responsible for use of this name
PronunciationEnglish: /sɪˈbæstʃən/ sib-AS-chən, UK also /sɪˈbæstiən/ sib-AST-ee-ən
German: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n]
Romanian: [sebastiˈan]
Spanish: [seβasˈtjan]
GenderMale
Origin
Language(s)Greek
Meaning"from Sebastia", "Augustus"
Other names
Related namesSebastián, Sébastien, Sebastião, Bastian, Bastien, Bas, Augustus, Austin

Sebastian is both a given name and a surname. It comes from the Greek name Sebastianos (Σεβαστιανός) meaning "from Sebastia" (Σεβάστεια), which was the name of the city now known as Sivas, located in the central portion of what is now Turkey; in Western Europe the name comes through the Latinized intermediary Sebastianus.[1][2] It was a name of ancient Greek origin, given to children not born free and found on the streets of Sebastia. The name of the city is derived from the Greek word σεβαστός (sebastos), "venerable",[3] which comes from σέβας (sebas), "awe, reverence, dread",[4] in turn from the verb σέβομαι (sebomai), "feel awe, scruple, be ashamed".[5] Sebastos was the Greek calque of the title Augustus, which was used for Roman emperors. Sebastian became a widely used name because it was the name of Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr.

Saint Sebastian in Ilpendam, Netherlands
Saint Sebastian in Bamberg, Germany

People

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

Mascots

References

  1. ^ Julia Cresswell (5 November 2007). Naming Your Baby: The Definitive Dictionary of First Names. A&C Black. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-7136-8313-4.
  2. ^ Davis, J. Madison (1995). The Shakespeare Name and Place Dictionary. Routledge. p. 444. ISBN 978-1-884964-17-6.
  3. ^ σεβαστός, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  4. ^ σέβας, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  5. ^ σέβομαι, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
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