Given name & surname · also Sanskrit, Hindi
Seth
“one who has been appointed”
Seth has a biblical meaning that is explained within the naming story itself.
Original Hebrewשת
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “one who has been appointed.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Hebrew, Hindi, and Sanskrit naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
How it developed
From Ancient Greek Σήθ, from Biblical Hebrew שֵׁת (Šet, “chosen one, appointed, placed”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In Genesis 4:25, Eve names the child born after Abel’s death Seth in connection with the idea of being “appointed” or “placed.” The name later found favor among Puritans, including for children born after the loss of a sibling.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Seth appears in Luke 3:38.
From biblical name research
Seth through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 166,288
- 165,793 boys · 495 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 6,725 babies
- 2025
- 505
- #581 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 505 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 581 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,717 in 2000. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (55). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 144,312 as a first name in 2020; 3,488 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Seth’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Seth has a related form in Set. In English usage, Seth has a conventional equivalent in the Swedish form Set. Seth has a related form in Seath.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Seth has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
5 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Seth
- Seth MacFarlaneAmerican writer, actor, and producer (born 1973)
- Seth RogenCanadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker (born 1982)
- Seth GreenAmerican actorborn 1974
- Seth RollinsAmerican professional wrestler and actorborn 1986
- Seth MeyersAmerican comedian, television host and actorborn 1973
- Seth GodinAmerican entrepreneur, author and public speaker (b. 1960)
- Seth Barnes NicholsonAmerican astronomer (1891–1963)
- Seth GilliamAmerican actorborn 1968
- Seth WescottAmerican snowboarderborn 1976
Characters named Seth: Seth Cohen (fictional human).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Seth, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jared
“descent” · “of the descent; descending”
>99% boys
Nathanael
“God has given”
>99% boys
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Jesus
“God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Caleb
“dog” · “resembling a dog”
>99% boys
Uriel
“the angel of light”
98% boys · 2% girls
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Jacob
“heel grabber” · “supplanter”
>99% boys