Seth Name Meaning (Origin, Popularity & Nicknames)

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.

Is There a Female Version of Seth?

Seth is a biblical male name rooted in Hebrew, which means “placed” and “appointed.” Girls may occasionally be named Seth, but it’s so rare that there are no statistics for Seth as a female name. The female equivalent for Seth is usually Sabra, which means “prickly pear” and also “rest” in Hebrew.

Is Seth an Indian Name?

Though Seth is a Hebrew and Egyptian name, it’s also a surname mostly used in northern India, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. It’s based on the Sanskrit “śreṣṭhin,” meaning “banker” or “head of a guild.” In Indian mythology, Seth is considered a son of Lord Rama and indicates those who believe in both Hindu and Sikh faiths.

What Does Seth Mean in Norwegian?

Seth is also known as a lesser-known surname used in Norway. In these instances, Seth is taken from the name of various Norwegian farms called Set. It derives from the Old Norse “setr,” meaning “farmstead” or “dwelling.” Seth also links back to the Egyptian Setekh, which refers to a “pillar” or “column.”