Name of the Week: Austin

 


 

Origin:

Austin is the medieval vernacular form of Augustine, which itself was the English form of the Roman name Augustinus meaning "belonging to Augustus." Augustus was a Latin word meaning "venerable, revered, majestic, magnificent, noble." It was a religious term originally, though either to derive from augur -- a religious official in ancient Rome who foretold events by interpreting omens -- or the Old Latin *augos "increase" i.e the 'augmentation of that which is religious'. Augustus first became a name when it was bestowed upon Caius Octavius as an honorary cognomen (an epithet or nickname) by the Roman Senate on January 16, 27 BC after his victory at the battle of Actium. He therefore became Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus [Imperator = Commander; Caesar Divi Filius = Divine Son of Caesar; Augustus = The Venerable] and by 12 BC the sixth month of the Roman calendar (Sextilis) was renamed Augustus (August) in his honor.

Usage:

Augustine was early on used in Antiquity thanks to Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430), a Doctor of the Church, was a theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity. His fame and veneration helped spread the usage of the name across Europe. In Britain, Augustine was furthered by the popular veneration of Saint Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604), the first Archbishop of Canterbury who is regarded as "Apostle to the English" and Austin was the common form of the name.  An Austinus de Bernardeston is recorded on the Feet of Fines Rolls of Suffolk in 1224, for example, while a Henry Austin is in the County Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. There is some ambiguity as to how common the name Augustine/Austin was in the Middle Ages. In A Dictionary of English Surnames (p19), Reaney and Wilson* say that the "Christian name is very common, usually in the Latin form". E.G. Withycome describes it as "very common in England in the Middle Ages"* and K.M. Sheard also describes the name as a "very popular name in medieval Britain."* In contrast, the Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources only lists a handful of examples of Augustine/Austin in use before the 16th century. George Redmonds also doubts the names popularity, especially as evidence is scant from his study poll tax returns of ten English counties in 1377-81. In Christian Names in Local and Family History (p92) he says:  "Augustine, or Austin, is likely to have been inspired originally by the first Archbishop of Canterbury or by St Augustine of Hippo, whose cult was widespread in the Middle Ages, but again there is no evidence that the name was common in England in 1377-81. How popular it was before that is difficult to gauge, but it occurred frequently enough to give rise to the surnames Austin and Austen [...] Because the surname became common in Kent it is tempting to link it directly to St Augustine of Canterbury but there is no evidence for that either, since the surviving poll tax returns for Kent include just one family named Austin and no examples of Augustine. There are scattered references elsewhere in the country, with one significant small cluster in Norfolk. [...] In the former West Riding, for example, Augustine was recorded only twice in 1379, in a total of almost 21,000 male names, after which no example has been noted for well over a century. Nevertheless it occurred sporadically in several parishes from the early sixteenth century and was subsequently adopted by the Metcalfes in Abbotside. It flourished there in a network of family and friends right through the seventeenth century." Perhaps by virtue of the saint, or to the use of the surname, Austin became more regularly recorded from the 16th century, and while not popular, was in regular use by the 19th century and consistently in the top 150.  A famous bearer from this period is Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894), traveller, archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian and diplomat who excavated several ancient Mesopotamian sites which became the jewel in the crown of the British Museum. Henry James also used the name for the character Austin Sloper in his 1880 novel Washington Square. Birth rankings in England and Wales: 1850: #143 1860: #148 1870: #128 1880: #139 1890: #147 1900: #145 Leslie Dunkling's sample for boys named Austin in every 10,000 births in England and Wales shows that the name declined in use by the 1950s but then picked up moderate use by the second half of the 20th century.  1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990   7   2   2    -    -    2    4   -   2    2   4   2 In America, Austin was always below the top 150 from 1880 to the 1980s. From that point on however, the name rapidly inclined in popularity, going from #90 in 1986 to #9 in 1996. It is now on its decline. From 1997 to 2006, Austin ranked steadily between #245 and #290.  The name began to rise from 2006, but it was in 2009 that it saw a marked jump from #160 in 2008 to #100. The most likely reason for this added boost to the name was that Autumn 2008 saw the name Austin feature on the two biggest Saturday night television shows of the season: The X Factor (with finalist Austin Drage) and Strictly Come Dancing (with rugby union player Austin Healey as a constentant).  It slipped slightly in the following three years, but then rose to #94 in 2013 and has been slowly rising ever since.  In 2016, Austin ranked #85 with 812 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894), British traveller, archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian and diplomat. * Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956), British artist and magician. * Austin Clarke (1896–1974), Irish poet. * Austin Brucklacher (1898-1941), American football player. * Austin Farrer (1904–1968), British theologian and philosopher. Contemporary: * Austin Healey (born 1973), British rugby union player. * Austin Nichols (born 1980), American actor. * Austin Butler (born 1991), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Austin Sloper, character in Henry James' novel Washington Square (1880). * Austin Powers, comedy film series and the name of the protagonist.

Variants:

Austen, Austyn; Awstin (Welsh)

Pronunciation:

OS-tən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Ozzie

Sibling Names:

Willow     Harper     Darcie     Mila     Lexi     Robyn  Mason     Carter     Dexter     Ellis     Finn     Jesse

Name Lists:

Lively Lads

 

If you like Austin you may also like:   Jackson, Roman, Harley, Jensen, Archer, Aiden, Lennon, Lincoln, Flynn, Tristan

Thanks to Marie for requesting this name.