Boy · Latin · Christian
Fabian
FabianSay it FAY-bee-un
- Meaning today
- Bean grower
- Original meaning
- "of Fabius, a Roman clan (Latin Fabianus)" Lewis & Short, s.v. Fabius; Fabianus
- Say it
- FAY-bee-un
- Other spellings
- Fabien, Fabiano
Fabian
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Fabian meaning
Fabian is a Christian boy's name of Latin origin.
Meaning today
Bean grower
Original Latin meaning
"of Fabius, a Roman clan (Latin Fabianus)"
Source: Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary (1879), via Logeion, s.v. Fabius; Fabianus · entry Fabius; Fabianus · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Fabian comes from Latin Fabianus, 'belonging to Fabius', the name of one of Rome's great families, which produced Quintus Fabius Maximus, the general famed for wearing Hannibal down by delay. Name lists explain Fabius as 'bean grower', from Latin faba, 'bean', but Lewis & Short give no etymology, so that remains a traditional guess. The Christian name honours Pope St Fabian, martyred in 250, who shares a feast day with St Sebastian. It is used by Catholic families in Kerala, Goa and Mangalore.
References: Logeion, Fabius (Lewis & Short) · Wikipedia, Pope Fabian
Famous namesakes
- Pope St Fabian, martyred in 250
Popularity abroad
- #468 United States, boys 2025 (down 27 from 441 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #549 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Fabian · Fabien · Fabiano