Character Name
Sebastian
Sebastian Sebastian carries the paradox embedded in Saint Sebastian's iconography — a figure of extraordinary physical beauty pierced with arrows yet serene, embodying endurance and spiritual transcendence over bodily suffering. In Renaissance art the name became associated with idealized masculine beauty and stoic fortitude, while in later literature it acquired aristocratic elegance and a tragic undercurrent. It suits characters of refined sensitivity who contain hidden reserves of courage.
Best genres for Sebastian
Famous characters named Sebastian
Sebastian
Twelfth Night — William Shakespeare
The twin brother of Viola, whose arrival in Illyria resolves the comedy's romantic entanglements and questions of mistaken identity.
Sebastian Flyte
Brideshead Revisited — Evelyn Waugh
The charming, doomed aristocrat whose friendship with Charles Ryder anchors Waugh's elegiac novel of faith, class, and lost innocence.
Sebastian
The Tempest — William Shakespeare
The treacherous brother of Alonso, King of Naples, who plots regicide on the enchanted island.
Variations & nicknames
Pairs well with
Writing a character named Sebastian?
Hearth's distraction-free editor helps you develop characters and write every day.
Related names
More Ancient Greek names
Zelida
“Possibly a variant of Zélia or Zelide, from the Greek zelotes meaning "zealous, ardent follower" — from zelos meaning "zeal, rivalry, jealousy". Alternatively it may be derived from Zéline, a French diminutive tradition, or from Spanish/Portuguese sources. The name Zélide was the pen name of the eighteenth-century Dutch writer Isabella de Charrière, who used it to signal passionate intellectual commitment.”
Doriana
“An Italian feminine elaboration of Dorian, from the Greek Dorios meaning "of the Dorians" — the ancient Greek people who settled the Peloponnese and Crete. The Dorians were associated with a spare, austere aesthetic in music and architecture that gave rise to the Doric architectural order. The name gained literary resonance through Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel.”
Corrine
“A variant spelling of Corinne, from the Ancient Greek Korinna, derived from kore meaning "maiden" or "girl". The original Korinna was a celebrated lyric poet of ancient Boeotia who was said to have competed against — and defeated — Pindar. The name entered modern European usage partly through Germaine de Staël's influential 1807 novel.”
Orfeo
“The Italian form of Orpheus, from the Ancient Greek Orpheus, whose etymology is disputed — possibly from orphne meaning "darkness of night", or from a pre-Greek root. Orpheus was the supreme musician of Greek mythology, son of the Muse Calliope, whose lyre playing could charm animals, trees, and rocks, and who descended into the Underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice.”
Laerte
“The Italian form of Laertes, from the Ancient Greek Laertes, composed of laos meaning "people" and erdo meaning "to accomplish, to do" — possibly meaning "one who accomplishes things for the people". In Greek mythology Laertes was the father of Odysseus and king of Ithaca, renowned for his patient endurance during his son's long absence.”
Kaitlyn
“A modern variant spelling of Caitlin, the Irish form of Catherine, from the Greek Aikaterine. The etymology of Catherine is debated: it may derive from the Greek katharos meaning "pure", or from the name of the goddess Hecate, or from an Aegean root. Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the legendary philosopher-martyr, spread the name across medieval Europe.”
Explore more