Sebastian vs Ted
Sebastian and Tedcompared 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, Sebastian was ranked #45 and Ted #232 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Sebastian was ranked #53 and Ted #476 among boys in Norway.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Sebastian was ranked #116 and Ted #619 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Sebastian was ranked #125 and Ted #170 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Sebastian was ranked #154 and Ted #256 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Sebastian and Ted over time
Sebastian and Ted appear together in 4 published lists, across 96 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ted in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 2 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Sebastian and Ted changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1999 and 2025, ending at #125 and #170.
- Longest-running competitions
Sebastian and Ted were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 30 years, from 1968 to 2025, ending at #53 and #476.
List by list
Norway · Boys30 shared years, 1968–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Ted in 2.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #9 in 2013, Ted #367 in 1977.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #53, Ted #476.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Sebastian held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Ted in 0.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #28 in 2018, Ted #150 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Sebastian #45, Ted #232.
Republic of Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 1999–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Ted in 3.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #80 in 2017, Ted #90 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #125, Ted #170.
Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 2012–2024
Sebastian held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Ted in 1.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #102 in 2015, Ted #158 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Sebastian #154, Ted #256.
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 | Ted |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| 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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #170 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Ted does not have one recorded yet.
- Sebastian has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Ted.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Ted doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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 #31 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Ted
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #484 among boys in Norway in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1999–2025
Highest recorded position: #90 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2021 (recorded 1999–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #476 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys