# Seth (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/seth/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “chosen one”, “appointed”, “placed” |
| Pronunciation | /sɛθ/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Set, Sutekh |
| US babies named this | 166,288 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 165,793 / 495 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 9,997, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Σήθ (Sḗth), from Biblical Hebrew שֵׁת (Šet, literally “chosen one, appointed, placed”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 8 | 10,623 |
| 1998 | 6 | 13,799 |
| 1999 | 6 | 14,106 |
| 2000 | 8 | 11,602 |
| 2001 | 9 | 10,862 |
| 2002 | 11 | 9,381 |
| 2003 | 8 | 12,212 |
| 2004 | 28 | 4,798 |
| 2005 | 7 | 14,248 |
| 2006 | 13 | 9,192 |
| 2007 | 9 | 12,498 |
| 2008 | 5 | 19,986 |
| 2011 | 5 | 19,107 |
| 2013 | 5 | 18,847 |
| 2014 | 5 | 18,799 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,094 | 184 |
| 2012 | 1,815 | 209 |
| 2013 | 1,596 | 231 |
| 2014 | 1,506 | 250 |
| 2015 | 1,351 | 270 |
| 2016 | 1,169 | 303 |
| 2017 | 1,066 | 320 |
| 2018 | 860 | 375 |
| 2019 | 831 | 380 |
| 2020 | 688 | 432 |
| 2021 | 607 | 488 |
| 2022 | 651 | 473 |
| 2023 | 562 | 526 |
| 2024 | 535 | 555 |
| 2025 | 505 | 581 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 637 | 101 |
| 2012 | 683 | 91 |
| 2013 | 648 | 97 |
| 2014 | 694 | 90 |
| 2015 | 703 | 93 |
| 2016 | 611 | 107 |
| 2017 | 489 | 121 |
| 2018 | 428 | 133 |
| 2019 | 365 | 153 |
| 2020 | 304 | 174 |
| 2021 | 302 | 177 |
| 2022 | 260 | 197 |
| 2023 | 213 | 229 |
| 2024 | 145 | 308 |
| 2025 | 156 | 294 |

## In other languages

- Armenian: Սեթ
- Chinese: 塞思
- Finnish: Seet
- Greek: Σεθ
- Hindi: सेथ
- Swedish: Seth, Set

## People named Seth

- Seth MacFarlane, American writer, actor, and producer (born 1973)
- Seth Rogen, Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker (born 1982)
- Seth Green, American actor
- Seth Rollins, American professional wrestler and actor
- Seth Meyers, American comedian, television host and actor
- Seth Godin, American entrepreneur, author and public speaker (b. 1960)
- Seth Barnes Nicholson, American astronomer (1891–1963)
- Seth Gilliam, American actor
- Seth Gabel, American actor
- Seth Wescott, American snowboarder
- Seth Curry, American basketball player (born 1990)
- Seth Carlo Chandler, American astronomer (1846–1913)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.