Sebastian vs Steffen
Sebastian and Steffencompared 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, Sebastian was ranked #53 and Steffen #519 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2000, Sebastian was ranked #111 and Steffen #2142 among boys in England and Wales.
Sebastian and Steffen over time
Sebastian and Steffen appear together in 1 published list, across 55 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Steffen 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.
Steffen 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.
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 took the other's place near the top
In Norway · Boys, Sebastian moved into the top 50 at #49 in 1993 as Steffen fell out of it to #60, having been #50 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1993, Sebastian moved ahead of Steffen in Norway · Boys — #57 and #50 the year before became #49 and #60.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Sebastian and Steffen changed places 5 times in Norway · Boys between 1968 and 2025, ending at #53 and #519.
- Mirrored each other
Over 55 shared years in Norway · Boys, Sebastian rose about as far as Steffen fell — from #415 and #263 in 1968 to #53 and #519 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Sebastian and Steffen were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 55 years, from 1968 to 2025, ending at #53 and #519.
List by list
Norway · Boys55 shared years, 1968–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Steffen in 15.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #6 in 2006, Steffen #24 in 1985.
The order changed in 1993: Sebastian moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #57 and #50; by 1993 that had become #49 and #60.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #53, Steffen #519.
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 | Sebastian | Steffen |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, from Greek | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /səˈbæstʃən/ | |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) | Norway · Boys #519 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Steffen does not have one recorded yet.
- Sebastian has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Steffen.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Steffen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
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
Steffen
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #341 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among boys in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #519 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys