FastNamesAustin
Latin and English name meaning "Contracted vernacular English form of Augustine, derived from Latin Augustus, meaning 'venerable', 'majestic', or 'exalted'.". Ranked 113th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Austin
Contracted vernacular English form of Augustine, derived from Latin Augustus, meaning 'venerable', 'majestic', or 'exalted'.
Linguistically, Austin is classified under Latin and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "AW-stin".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Austin has been given to a total of 438,042 boys. It has also been given to 5,681 girls.
Peak year: Austin reached its highest relative share among boys in 1995, when 25,908 babies received the name (13,609 per million births).
All-time best rank: 9th place, first achieved in 1996.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 113th with 3,103 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 69th (down 44 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Austin in the 1990s than in any other decade (190,140 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 609 |
| 1890s | 586 |
| 1900s | 715 |
| 1910s | 3,190 |
| 1920s | 4,259 |
| 1930s | 2,688 |
| 1940s | 2,491 |
| 1950s | 2,208 |
| 1960s | 2,031 |
| 1970s | 4,841 |
| 1980s | 31,307 |
| 1990s | 190,140 |
| 2000s | 112,776 |
| 2010s | 59,130 |
| 2020s | 21,071 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Austin is most common in the US
Accounting for when Austin was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- South Dakota: 1.8 times the national rate (1,968 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.8 times the national rate (910 births since 1910).
- Kentucky: 1.8 times the national rate (10,397 births since 1910).
- Iowa: 1.7 times the national rate (7,311 births since 1910).
- West Virginia: 1.7 times the national rate (4,071 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Austin?
About 414,000 living American boys and men share the name Austin. Additionally, an estimated 5,600 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Austin is 27 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Austin
Austin developed in medieval England as the standard spoken and vernacular contraction of Augustine, which stems from the Roman imperial title Augustus ('consecrated', 'majestic', or 'venerable', from Latin augere, 'to increase'). In medieval Britain, Saint Augustine of Canterbury (died 604), the first Archbishop of Canterbury sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert Anglo-Saxon England, was universally known as Saint Austin.
The name became widespread in medieval Britain as both a personal name and patronymic surname, giving rise to numerous place names and ecclesiastical foundations (such as the Austin Canons or Augustinian friars). In North American history, the name gained immense stature through Moses Austin and his son Stephen F. Austin (1793–1836), the 'Father of Texas', in whose honor the capital city of Texas was named in 1839.
In United States birth records, Austin surged from a modest traditional southern and southwestern name into a nationwide powerhouse beginning in the 1980s. Propelled by the popularity of place-name and surname-names, Austin vaulted into the national top ten in 1995 and remained there through 1998, peaking at rank 9 in 1996 and 1997 with over 25,000 newborn boys per year.
Notable people named Austin
- Austin Butler (1991–), American Academy Award-nominated actor
- Austin Mahone (1996–), American pop singer and songwriter
- Austin Rivers (1992–), American professional basketball player
- Austin Reaves (1998–), American NBA basketball player
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 23.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 37.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.