Sebastian vs Vegard
Sebastian and Vegardcompared 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 Vegard #219 among boys in Norway.
Sebastian and Vegard over time
Sebastian and Vegard appear together in 1 published list, across 58 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Vegard 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.
Vegard 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1997, Sebastian moved ahead of Vegard in Norway · Boys — #29 and #28 the year before became #28 and #32.
- Mirrored each other
Over 58 shared years in Norway · Boys, Sebastian rose about as far as Vegard fell — from #415 and #119 in 1968 to #53 and #219 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Sebastian and Vegard were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 58 years, from 1968 to 2025, ending at #53 and #219.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1968–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Vegard in 28.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #6 in 2006, Vegard #19 in 1987.
The order changed in 1997: Sebastian moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #29 and #28; by 1997 that had become #28 and #32.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #53, Vegard #219.
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 | Vegard |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) | Norway · Boys #219 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Vegard does not have one recorded yet.
- Sebastian has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Vegard.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Vegard doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Vegard
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #291 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: #19 among boys in Norway, in 1987 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #219 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys