Emil vs Sebastian
Emil 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Emil was ranked #2 and Sebastian #53 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Emil was ranked #771 and Sebastian #47 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Emil was ranked #619 and Sebastian #116 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Emil was ranked #468 and Sebastian #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2014, Emil was ranked #398 and Sebastian #128 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Emil and Sebastian over time
Emil and Sebastian appear together in 3 published lists, across 107 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Emil in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Emil reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Sebastian 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emil and Sebastian changed places 10 times in Norway · Boys between 1968 and 2025, ending at #2 and #53.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 58 shared years in Norway · Boys, Emil and Sebastian averaged 36.5 places apart, ending at #2 and #53.
- Longest-running competitions
Emil and Sebastian were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #771 and #47.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Emil #1 in 2008, Sebastian #6 in 2006.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1968–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Sebastian in 24.
Highest recorded here: Emil #1 in 2008, Sebastian #6 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #2, Sebastian #53.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 30.
Highest recorded here: Emil #506 in 2015, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #771, Sebastian #47.
Republic of Ireland · Boys19 shared years, 2006–2025
Emil held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 19.
Highest recorded here: Emil #310 in 2012, Sebastian #80 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emil #468, Sebastian #125.
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 | Emil | Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | From the Roman family name Aemilius, itself from Latin 'aemulus' meaning 'rival'. | 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 | Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions | Latin, from Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeː.mɪl/ | /səˈbæstʃən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #2 (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
- Emil is recorded with a Latin, widely used across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and other European traditions origin, while Sebastian is recorded with a Latin, from Greek origin.
- Emil has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sebastian.
- Emil's recorded meaning differs from Sebastian's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Emil
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #271 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #771 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
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