Karstein vs Sebastian
Karstein 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 2002, Karstein was ranked #530 and Sebastian #13 among boys in Norway.
Karstein and Sebastian over time
Karstein and Sebastian appear together in 1 published list, across 13 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Karstein in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Karstein reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Sebastian in none. 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.
List by list
Norway · Boys13 shared years, 1968–2002
Karstein held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Sebastian in 10.
Highest recorded here: Karstein #356 in 1970, Sebastian #13 in 2002.
The order changed in 1972: Sebastian moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #356 and #436; by 1972 that had become #522 and #226.
Most recent shared year, 2002: Karstein #530, Sebastian #13.
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 | Karstein | Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Latin, from Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /səˈbæstʃən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #530 (2002) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Karstein does not have one recorded yet.
- Karstein has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Sebastian.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Karstein doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Karstein
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #194 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2002
Highest recorded position: #134 among boys in Norway, in 1951 (recorded 1945–2002).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2002
Most recently recorded at #530 among boys in Norway, in 2002.
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