Nikolay vs Sebastian
Nikolay 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 2019, Nikolay was ranked #475 and Sebastian #29 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Nikolay was ranked #2952 and Sebastian #47 among boys in England and Wales.
Nikolay and Sebastian over time
Nikolay and Sebastian appear together in 2 published lists, across 57 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Nikolay 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.
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.
- Longest-running competitions
Nikolay and Sebastian were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 40 years, from 1969 to 2019, ending at #475 and #29.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Nikolay #294 in 2005, Sebastian #6 in 2006.
List by list
Norway · Boys40 shared years, 1969–2019
Nikolay held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Sebastian in 39.
Highest recorded here: Nikolay #294 in 2005, Sebastian #6 in 2006.
The order changed in 1972: Sebastian moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #579 and #586; by 1972 that had become #606 and #226.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Nikolay #475, Sebastian #29.
England and Wales · Boys17 shared years, 2008–2025
Nikolay held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Sebastian in 17.
Highest recorded here: Nikolay #1250 in 2021, Sebastian #28 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Nikolay #2952, Sebastian #47.
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 | Nikolay | 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 | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2952 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 65/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 70/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Nikolay does not have one recorded yet.
- Nikolay and Sebastian both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Nikolay doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Nikolay
Popularity journey
First recorded1959
First recorded at #474 among boys in Norway in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1959–2019
Highest recorded position: #294 among boys in Norway, in 2005 (recorded 1959–2019).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2952 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