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Seth Name Meaning, Origins & History

Seth

Pronunciation: SETH

Meaning Set, appointed Origin Hebrew Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#581
TREND
23
Peak Years
2000, 1999, 2001
Lowest Years
1902, 1899, 1896
Energy Archetype
Original & Spiritually Intense

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Seth in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Seth

  • A favorite of earlier generations: Seth appeared in the U.S. top 100 in 5 separate runs, totaling 22 years. Its last run lasted 9 consecutive years, from 1997 through 2005.
  • More than 166 thousand babies named Seth: U.S. records list 166,273 babies given the name Seth from 1880 through 2025. Even 495 girls received the name Seth - about 1 girl for every 335 boys.

What Does the Name Seth Mean?

Seth is the English form of the Hebrew name Shet (שֵׁת), commonly explained as "appointed" or "placed." The meaning is tied to a wordplay in the book of Genesis: after the birth of her third son, Eve says that God has "appointed" (shath) another child for her in place of Abel (Genesis 4:25). The name Shet and the verb shath, "to set, put, place," come from the same Hebrew root, so "appointed" is a name explanation built into the biblical text rather than a plain translation. Because Eve's words also describe the child as taking Abel's place, some references give the meaning as "substitute."

The name written Seth in English for the Egyptian god is a separate name with a separate origin. It stands for the Egyptian stẖ, conventionally vocalized as Set or Sutekh, the god of disorder, storms, and the desert; Greek writers rendered it Sēth. The meaning of the Egyptian name is not established. The two names share a spelling in modern English but are not related.

Seth Name History & Origins

Seth is the third son of Adam and Eve in the Hebrew Bible and the father of Enosh. He appears in the genealogies running from Adam to Noah (Genesis 4 - 5) and, in the New Testament, from Adam to Jesus (Luke 3:38). The Greek form of the name in the Septuagint and the New Testament is Sēth (Σήθ), which passed into Latin as Seth and from Latin into English. The Arabic form is Shīth, and Islamic tradition also treats him as a prophet. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus repeats a tradition that Seth's descendants raised pillars of brick and stone to preserve astronomical knowledge.

Among Gnostic groups in the first centuries of the common era, Seth was a central figure. The movement scholars call Sethian Gnosticism treated him as a heavenly redeemer and as the ancestor of a spiritual line, and texts found at Nag Hammadi speak of "the seed of Seth."

Seth entered English use as a personal name from the Hebrew Bible. It was in use in England by the 1600s, and it was among the Old Testament names that Protestant families in Britain and in colonial New England gave their children. The English spelling follows the Latin and Greek forms rather than a direct rendering of the Hebrew Shet.

How Popular is the Name Seth?

Seth recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2000. People named Amelia who were born during its modern resurgence from 1997 through 2005 turn 21-29 in 2026.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Seth

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

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How the Name Seth Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Seth's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Seth's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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