Augusten
A masculine name derived from the Roman emperor Augustus and meaning 'venerable' or 'consecrated'.
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the first name Augusten. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Augusten today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Augusten births was 2015 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Augusten. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
119
~ 1 in 2,880,289 Americans
Peak year
2015
16 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,486
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Augusten: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Augusten from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Augusten by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Augusten during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Augustens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Augusten
The name Augusten is derived from the Latin name Augustus, which was originally a title and surname given to the first Roman emperor, Gaius Octavius, in 27 BC. The title "Augustus" itself comes from the Latin word "augere," meaning "to increase or enhance," which was likely a reference to the emperor's role in expanding and strengthening the Roman Empire.
In ancient Rome, the name Augustus became associated with power, prestige, and imperial authority. It was adopted by subsequent Roman emperors as a way to link themselves to the legacy and legitimacy of the first Augustus, Octavius. The name was also used by members of the imperial family and other Roman nobles as a way to demonstrate their connection to the ruling class.
While the name Augusten is a variant spelling, it shares the same roots and historical significance as Augustus. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Augusten was Augusten of Hippo (354-430 AD), a Christian philosopher and theologian who was a contemporary of St. Augustine and played a significant role in shaping early Christian thought.
Throughout history, the name Augusten has been borne by various notable figures, including Augusten Gottlieb Meissner (1753-1807), a German writer and philosopher; Augusten Ehrensvärd (1710-1772), a Swedish military officer and architect; and Augusten Craven (1808-1891), an English writer and novelist.
Another notable bearer of the name was Augusten Burroughs (born 1965), an American writer and memoirist known for his works such as "Running with Scissors" and "Dry." He has been praised for his candid and often darkly humorous accounts of his unconventional upbringing and struggles with addiction.
While less common than its parent name Augustus, the variant spelling Augusten has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with individuals of intellectual or creative pursuits. Its connection to the Roman imperial legacy has imbued it with connotations of power, prestige, and a certain grandeur.
People
Augusten + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Augusten as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Augusten: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Augusten?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 119 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Augusten going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,880,289 US residents.
Is Augusten a common name?
We classify Augusten as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Augusten most popular?
The single biggest year for Augusten was 2015, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Augusten is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Augusten in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Augusten a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Augusten in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Augusten still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Augusten in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Augusten can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Augusten?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.