Sebastian vs Xavier
Sebastian and Xaviercompared 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.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Sebastian was ranked #31 and Xavier #43 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Sebastian was ranked #47 and Xavier #263 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2022, Sebastian was ranked #75 and Xavier #71 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Sebastian was ranked #116 and Xavier #535 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Sebastian was ranked #125 and Xavier #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Sebastian was ranked #154 and Xavier #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Sebastian and Xavier over time
Sebastian and Xavier appear together in 4 published lists, across 93 years of shared records. Sebastian held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Xavier in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Xavier reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Sebastian and Xavier changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 2004 and 2025, ending at #31 and #43.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 22 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Sebastian and Xavier averaged 13.2 places apart, ending at #31 and #43.
- Longest-running competitions
Sebastian and Xavier were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #47 and #263.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Xavier in 0.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #28 in 2018, Xavier #158 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #47, Xavier #263.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys22 shared years, 2004–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Xavier in 11.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #20 in 2022, Xavier #22 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #31, Xavier #43.
Republic of Ireland · Boys22 shared years, 2002–2025
Sebastian held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Xavier in 0.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #80 in 2017, Xavier #257 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Sebastian #125, Xavier #676.
New Zealand · Boys19 shared years, 2002–2022
Sebastian held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Xavier in 18.
Highest recorded here: Sebastian #52 in 2018, Xavier #29 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Sebastian #75, Xavier #71.
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 | Xavier |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #31 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #43 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sebastian has a recorded origin (Latin, from Greek); Xavier does not have one recorded yet.
- Sebastian has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Xavier.
- A meaning is recorded for Sebastian; Xavier doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Xavier
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #376 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2004–2025
Highest recorded position: #22 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2011 (recorded 2004–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #263 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys