Jonas vs Sebastian
Jonas 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Jonas was ranked #691 and Sebastian #45 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Jonas was ranked #49 and Sebastian #53 among boys in Norway.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jonas was ranked #727 and Sebastian #116 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, Jonas was ranked #272 and Sebastian #118 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jonas was ranked #468 and Sebastian #125 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Jonas and Sebastian over time
Jonas and Sebastian appear together in 4 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Jonas in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 58 shared years in Norway · Boys, Jonas and Sebastian averaged 36.1 places apart, ending at #49 and #53.
- Longest-running competitions
Jonas and Sebastian were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 58 years, from 1968 to 2025, ending at #49 and #53.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Jonas #422 in 2018, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1968–2025
Jonas held the stronger position in 57 of those years, Sebastian in 1.
Highest recorded here: Jonas #1 in 2006, Sebastian #6 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jonas #49, Sebastian #53.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jonas held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 29.
Highest recorded here: Jonas #422 in 2018, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jonas #691, Sebastian #45.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 2005–2025
Jonas held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 20.
Highest recorded here: Jonas #313 in 2016, Sebastian #80 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jonas #468, Sebastian #125.
Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 2009–2023
Jonas held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 12.
Highest recorded here: Jonas #215 in 2018, Sebastian #102 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Jonas #272, Sebastian #118.
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 | Jonas | Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'. | 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 | Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition | Latin, from Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjuː.nas/ | /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 #49 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jonas is recorded with a Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition origin, while Sebastian is recorded with a Latin, from Greek origin.
- Jonas has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sebastian.
- Jonas'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
Jonas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #257 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 2006 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #49 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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 #31 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys