Bastian

Bastian is a German short form of Sebastian, which derives from the Latin Sebastianus, itself from the Greek Sebastianos, meaning "from Sebaste," a city in ancient Asia Minor whose name was drawn from the Greek sebastos, meaning "venerable" or "revered." The name gained widespread use in medieval Europe largely through the cult of Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr. Bastian functions as both a given name in its own right and a familiar form, and it remains popular across German-speaking countries and the Netherlands. Related forms include Sebastián, Sébastien, and Sebastiano.