Seth Overview
- Meaning: Seth means “appointed” or “fixed” in Hebrew from Sheth and the verb “shyt,” meaning “to set” or “place firm.” Seth also means “chaos” and “destruction” in ancient Egypt.
- Gender: Seth is traditionally a male name.
- Origin: Seth’s origins are Hebrew, where it is the name of Adam and Eve’s third son in the Bible. It’s also linked to Šēt, the god of chaos and disorder in Egyptian mythology.
- Pronunciation: Seth is pronounced “SEHTH” in English.
- Popularity: Seth recently ranked in the top 500 U.S. boys’ names, 30th in England and Wales in 2015, and 79th in Australia in 2016.
- Nicknames: Set, Sether, Sethers, Sethery, Sethtopher, Sethy.
- Variations: Ced, Saad, Saeed, Said, Sean, Seathe, Seb, Sethe, Shet, Shet, Sheth, Sid, Sutekh, Syd, Syed, Zed, Zeth.
- Namesakes: Seth MacFarlane, American creator of the TV series “Family Guy.” Seth Green, American actor known for the “Austin Powers” film series.
What Does Seth Mean?
Seth comes from the Hebrew Sheth, meaning “appointed” or “placed,” linked to the Hebrew “shyt,” which means “to set” or “place firm.” Seth also appears as Set, meaning “chosen one.”
Seth is also known to have Egyptian origins, associated with the god of “chaos,” “destruction,” and “storms.” It also has Indian origins, with the Sanskrit “setu,” meaning “bridge,” or “sveta,” meaning “white.”
What Is the Origin of the Name Seth?
Seth is best remembered as Adam and Eve’s third son in the Bible. In ancient Egypt, Set was known as a trickster god who ruled over the desert, storms, and warfare. He was associated with disorder and chaos.
Seth also refers to the Sethians, a Gnostic Christian group with origins in Platonism. Seth wasn’t often used as a boy’s name in history until the 17th-century Protestant Reformation.
Seth is related to the Old Norse “setr,” meaning “farmstead dwelling.” It occurs as a surname in Norway and Scotland, where Seth is a form of the Gaelic Seaghdh.
How Popular Is the Name Seth?
Seth has been used in the U.S. for boys for roughly 200 years. It peaked at 63rd in 2000, and as recently as 2019, Seth ranked 179th for boys in the U.S. Seth also ranked 30th in England and Wales in 2015 and 79th in Australia in 2016. It has remained within the top 500 boys’ names in the U.S. in the last few years.
How Do I Pronounce Seth?
Seth is pronounced “SEYTH” in English.
Is Seth a Boy or Girl Name?
Seth is a boy’s name. Sabra is considered the closest female form of Seth for girls.
Variations of Seth
Seth has many similar sounding variations, especially in English and Arabic:
- Ced (English)
- Saad (Arabic)
- Saeed (Arabic)
- Said (Arabic)
- Sean (Irish)
- Seathe (Hebrew)
- Seb (Greek)
- Sethe (Hebrew)
- Shet (Hebrew)
- Sheth (Hebrew)
- Sid (English)
- Sutekh (Hebrew)
- Syd (English)
- Syed (Arabic)
- Zed (Hebrew)
- Zeth (Hebrew)
Nicknames for Seth
Find your favorite diminutive for Seth here:
- Set
- Sether
- Sethers
- Sethery
- Sethtopher
- Sethy
Similar Names to Seth
Many biblical-influenced choices show up on our list of names similar to Seth:
- Abel
- Adam
- Asher
- Cain
- Cassius
- Daniel
- Elijah
- Ezra
- Felix
- Heath
- Isaac
- Jacob
- James
- Jonah
- Joshua
- Jude
- Levi
- Micah
- Robert
- Theo
Middle Names for Seth
Seth sounds lovely when paired up with one of these middle names:
- Aaron
- Andrew
- Barrett
- Christian
- David
- Davis
- Eli
- Franklin
- Gabriel
- Harrison
- Jacob
- Jason
- Josiah
- Liam
- Marshall
- Matthew
- Michael
- Nathaniel
- Phillip
- Tyler
Sibling Names for Seth
Brothers and sisters to Seth can be proud of these strong sibling names:
- Ava
- Benjamin
- Beth
- Bette
- Caleb
- Cameron
- Daisy
- Donovan
- Elizabeth
- Faith
- Grace
- Hannah
- Jack
- Mariah
- Phoebe
- Rachel
- Ruth
- Sarah
- Sawyer
- Tobias
Famous People Named Seth
Famous people who go by Seth are more plentiful than you may think:
- Seth Ablade: Ghanaian soccer player with the Ghanaian national team.
- Seth Abramson: American editor of the “Best American Experimental Writing” series.
- Seth Blair: American baseball player for the Arizona Sun Devils.
- Seth Curry: American basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets.
- Seth Davis: American journalist for CBS Sports.
- Seth Eastman: American mapmaker.
- Seth Fedelin: Filipino actor from the reality show “Pinoy Big Brother: Otso.”
- Seth Fisher: American comic book artist of “Happydale” (1996).
- Seth Godin: American writer of “Purple Cow” (2003).
- Seth Goldman: American TV reporter.
- Seth Greenberg: American sports broadcaster for ESPN.
- Seth Holt: English film director.
- Seth Jarvis: Canadian ice hockey player for the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Seth Lipsky: American editor of the New York Sun.
- Seth Lover: American designer of Gibson guitars.
- Seth Morgan: American writer of “Homeboy” (1990).
- Seth Rogen: Canadian actor known for “Superbad.”
- Seth Sendashonga: Rwandan minister of the interior.
- Seth Shostak: American astronomer for the SETI Institute.
- Seth W. Brown: American representative from Ohio.
Seth in Popular Culture
Seth has appeared as a character in many genres of entertainment:
- Major Seth Adams: Character in the TV series “Wagon Train.”
- Seth: Character appearing in the animated series “Di-Gata Defenders.”
- Seth: Character appearing in the video game “The King of Fighters.”
- Seth: Character from the sci-fi TV series “Stargate SG-1.”
- Seth: Character in the 2012 film “Wanderlust.”
- Seth: Character in the “Phantasy Star” IV video game.
- Seth: Playable character in the “Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones” video game.
- Seth Armstrong: Character in the English TV series “Emmerdale.”
- Seth Brundle: Character from the sci-fi film “The Fly.”
- Seth Clearwater: Werewolf appearing in the “Twilight” series.
- Seth Cohen: Character in the TV series “The O.C.”
- Seth Davis: Character in the 2000 film “Boiler Room.”
- Seth Garin: Character from “The Regulators” novel by Richard Bachman.
- Seth Gecko: Name of a character in the 1996 film “From Dusk Till Dawn.”
- Seth Hazlitt: Character appearing in the TV series “Murder, She Wrote.”
- Seth Lord: Name of a character in “The Philadelphia Story.”
- Seth Nightroad: Character from the anime series “Trinity Blood.”
- Seth Pecksniff: Character appearing in Charles Dickens’s “Martin Chuzzlewit.”
- Seth Sorenson: Character in the “Fablehaven” book series by Brandon Mull.
- Seth Starkadder: Character from the 1932 book “Cold Comfort Farm” by Stella Gibbons
Seth FAQs
There is even more to learn about the origins of Seth.