Sebastian

Saint Sebastian, bound to a tree and pierced with arrows, became one of the most painted martyrs of the Renaissance — Mantegna, Botticelli, Reni, and Caravaggio all tried their hand at him — a name forever tangled up with Italian chapels and Baroque shadows. The name comes from the Greek sebastos, meaning venerable or revered, by way of the ancient city of Sebaste in Asia Minor (the Greek translation of the Latin Augustus). Johann Sebastian Bach wore it; Shakespeare used it in Twelfth Night for Viola's twin brother; Disney gave it to a singing Jamaican crab in The Little Mermaid, which somehow did not diminish the name's gravitas.

Sebastian has been a fixture of the British, Spanish, and Latin American naming traditions for centuries, and entered the American top 100 in 2000, the top 20 in 2014, and has held there ever since. Famous bearers span an extraordinary range: Sebastian Stan (the Marvel actor), Sebastian Vettel (the Formula One champion), Sebastian Maniscalco (the comedian), Sebastian Junger (the writer of The Perfect Storm), and Sebastian Bach (the metal singer who appropriated the composer's name).

Three sweeping syllables, each one a little more expansive than the last — Se-BAS-tian, or Se-BAS-ti-an in the Spanish four-syllable form. The name pairs beautifully with both classical and modern siblings (Sebastian and Eleanor, Sebastian and Stella, Sebastian and Olivia). Nicknames bend in many directions: Seb, Bash, Baz, Sebas. Operatic without being overblown, faintly Continental, and slightly theatrical. A name that expects — and usually gets — a slightly dramatic child.