Arlo vs Sebastian
Arlo and Sebastiancompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Arlo was ranked #12 and Sebastian #52 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Arlo was ranked #15 and Sebastian #47 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #18 and Sebastian #116 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Arlo was ranked #47 and Sebastian #31 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #45 and Sebastian #154 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Arlo was ranked #54 and Sebastian #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Arlo and Sebastian over time
Arlo and Sebastian appear together in 5 published lists, across 79 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Arlo in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Sebastian reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Arlo in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2020, Arlo moved ahead of Sebastian in England and Wales · Boys — #34 and #34 the year before became #27 and #39.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Arlo #19 in 2023, Sebastian #20 in 2022.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1999–2025
Arlo held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Sebastian in 20.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #14 in 2023, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
The order changed in 2020: Arlo moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #34 and #34; by 2020 that had become #27 and #39.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Arlo #15, Sebastian #47.
Republic of Ireland · Boys17 shared years, 2009–2025
Arlo held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Sebastian in 13.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #48 in 2024, Sebastian #80 in 2017.
The order changed in 2022: Arlo moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #99 and #92; by 2022 that had become #83 and #124.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Arlo #54, Sebastian #125.
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2011–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Sebastian in 6.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #40 in 2023, Sebastian #102 in 2015.
The order changed in 2019: Arlo moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #121 and #104; by 2019 that had become #73 and #103.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #45, Sebastian #154.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys11 shared years, 2015–2025
Arlo held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Sebastian in 10.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #19 in 2023, Sebastian #20 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Arlo #47, Sebastian #31.
New Zealand · Boys11 shared years, 2013–2023
Arlo held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Sebastian in 1.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #10 in 2017, Sebastian #52 in 2018.
The order changed in 2014: Arlo moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #85 and #58; by 2014 that had become #55 and #59.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Arlo #12, Sebastian #52.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Arlo | Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Meaning uncertain — likely derived by Edmund Spenser from the real Irish place name Aherlow ('between two highlands') for the fictional Arlo Hill in The Faerie Queene (1590). | Traditionally interpreted as 'venerable' or 'revered' — from Latin Sebastianus, 'from Sebaste' (a city in Asia Minor), whose own name derives from a Greek word used to translate the Roman imperial title Augustus. |
| Origin | Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation) | Latin, from Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑɹ.loʊ/ | /səˈbæstʃən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #15 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arlo is recorded with a Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation) origin, while Sebastian is recorded with a Latin, from Greek origin.
- Arlo has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sebastian.
- Arlo's recorded meaning differs from Sebastian's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Arlo
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #2943 among boys in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2013–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2017 (recorded 2013–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3035 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sebastian
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #415 among boys in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1968–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1968–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #47 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys