UK boy's name
Seth
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "appointed" or "placed".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Seth is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Seth popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #308, with 145 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 703 births.
This profile covers 9,841 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 21% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 10,708 living people in the UK are called Seth. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Seth ranked #308 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 145 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 703 boys were registered as Seth.
- • Seth ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #108 in 2024.
- • About 10,708 living people in the UK are estimated to have Seth as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#308
2024
Births in 2024
145
Latest year
Peak year
2015
703 births
Estimated living
10,708
2026
Meaning
What does Seth mean?
The name Seth has its origins in ancient Egypt, derived from the Egyptian god of storms, deserts, and chaos. It dates back to around 3100 BC and was originally written as "Sutekh" or "Setesh" in hieroglyphic texts. The name is believed to be linked to the ancient Egyptian word "sedj," meaning "to be rebel" or "to be rebellious."
In the ancient Egyptian mythology, Seth was the son of Geb, the god of the earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. He was initially depicted as a protector of the pharaohs but later became associated with violence, chaos, and the desert due to his involvement in the murder of his brother Osiris.
The name Seth appears in various ancient Egyptian texts, including the Pyramid Texts and the Book of the Dead. It was also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, born after Cain and Abel.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Seth comes from an ancient Egyptian royal inscription dating back to around 2600 BC, referring to a high official named "Seth-mes." In Greek mythology, Seth was associated with the god Typhon, the monstrous embodiment of chaos and destruction.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Seth. Here are five examples:
1. Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis (biblical figure, circa 4000 BC). 2. Seth-Peribsen, an Egyptian pharaoh of the Second Dynasty who ruled around 2770-2670 BC. 3. Seth Wardicus, a Roman writer and historian who lived in the 1st century AD. 4. Seth Calvisius, a German mathematician and astronomer (1556-1617) known for his work on the Gregorian calendar reform. 5. Seth Leavitt, an American astronomer (1796-1857) who discovered several comets and calculated the orbit of the Great Comet of 1853.
The name Seth has maintained its significance throughout various cultures and religions, often representing a connection to ancient Egyptian mythology, chaos, and rebellion.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Seth over time
The chart below shows babies named Seth registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Seth, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 145 births in 2024, compared with 703 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Seth by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Seth was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #217 | 1,224 | 5 |
| 2010s | #110 | 5,809 | 10 |
| 2000s | #191 | 2,585 | 10 |
| 1990s | #395 | 223 | 4 |
Geography
Where Seth is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Seth. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Seth ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #108 in 2024.
Across the UK
Seth in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#535 in 2024
25 years of NRS records, 418 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#108 in 2024
22 years of NISRA records, 518 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Seth
-
Seth Owens
association football player
association football player
1998-
-
Seth Burkett
writer; association football player; futsal player; professional athlete
English footballer (born 1991)
1991-
-
Seth Pick
visual artist
1985-
-
Seth Johnson
association football player
association football player from England (born 1979)
1979-
-
Seth Garland
visual artist
1977-
-
Seth Strong
pornographic actor
British pornographic actor
1977-
-
Seth Michael Honnor
(born 1976)
1976-
-
Seth Turner
1967-
Related
Names similar to Seth
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
- Shane 6,736
FAQ
Seth: questions and answers
How popular is the name Seth in the UK right now?
In 2024, Seth was ranked #308 for boys in England and Wales, with 145 births registered.
When was Seth most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 703 babies registered as Seth in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Seth?
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "appointed" or "placed".
How many people are called Seth in the UK?
A total of 9,841 babies have been registered as Seth across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 418 more in Scotland and 518 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Seth most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Seth ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #108 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.