Seth

Seth is a traditionally masculine name with roots in Egyptian, Hebrew, and the Bible. It can mean "put," "anointed," "compensation," or "appointed." In the Bible, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve — a replacement for Abel after his brother Cain killed him. In Egyptian mythology, Seth is god of both desert and storms; his parents are Geb and Nut, and his brother is Osiris. Seth eventually murders Osiris.

Other boys names meaning "anointed" include Akta, Anjaka, Candanin, Carsten, Chandnin, Christian, Chrys, Karsten, Khristos, Krist, and Samoel. Or stick with a Hebrew/Biblical name such as Nathan, Jared, Zachary, Peter, Isaac, Caleb, Micah, or Jonah. Other Egyptian deities' names to draw from include: Isis, Osiris, Horus, Amun, Ra, Hathor, Bastet, Thoth, Anubis, and Ptah.

Popularity-wise, Seth was relatively common in the United States in the 1880s but experienced a steady decline until 1950 when it began climbing again. Overall, Seth's biggest years were between 1985 and 2000; in 2018 it was down to the 630th most popular name for boys in the U.S. If you like the '80s-'90s vibe but want to branch out from Seth, try Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, David, James, Daniel, or Robert.

Famous Seths include actors Seth Rogan, Seth Green, and Seth McFarlane, athletes Seth Curry and Seth Jones, author Seth Godin, cartoonist Seth (the pen name of Gregory Gallant), and TV presenter Seth Myers.

Seth in quotes:

"Successful people are the ones breaking the rules." — Seth Godin

“People claim that love is the deepest feeling, but don't you believe it. Loneliness is the most affecting of human emotions. Nothing makes life more vivid. If you wish to live in the moment, I recommend intense loneliness.”
― Seth, George Sprott, 1894-1975