Autum
A feminine name derived from the Latin word "autumnus" meaning "fall season".
Name Census estimates that about 3,197 living Americans carry the first name Autum. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Autum today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Autum births was 1998 (146 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Autum. 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
3.2K
~ 1 in 107,211 Americans
Peak year
1998
146 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,609
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Autum: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Autum from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,056 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Autum 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 Autum during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Autums live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Autum, while North Carolina, Arizona, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 50 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Autum
The name Autum is derived from the Latin word "autumnus," which means "the season of autumn." This name has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where the changing seasons were celebrated and revered. The name is closely associated with the Fall equinox, a time of harvest, abundance, and the transition from summer to winter.
The earliest known reference to the name Autum can be traced back to the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his work "Metamorphoses," Ovid personified the season of autumn as a female figure, describing her as a graceful and bountiful goddess. This literary representation helped establish the association between the name and the autumn season.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Autum was Autum Vindicianus, a Roman physician who lived during the 4th century AD. He is known for his contributions to the fields of medicine and pharmacology, authoring several treatises on the subject.
In the Middle Ages, the name Autum gained popularity among Christian communities, as it was seen as a symbolic representation of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Saint Autum of Trier, a 7th-century Frankish nun and abbess, was a notable figure who bore this name.
During the Renaissance period, the name Autum was embraced by artists and intellectuals who drew inspiration from classical Roman culture. Autum Browne (1605-1667), an English writer and poet, was a prominent figure of this era, known for her contributions to the development of English literature.
In more recent history, the name Autum has been associated with notable figures in various fields. Autum Ellinger (1919-2003) was an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s. Autum Carpenter (1920-1995) was a British actress and model, known for her roles in several classic films of the 1950s and 1960s.
Throughout its long history, the name Autum has maintained a strong connection to the natural world, symbolizing the beauty and transience of the autumn season. Its origins in ancient Roman culture and its enduring presence across centuries have made it a timeless and evocative name choice.
People
Autum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Autum 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
Autum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Autum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,197 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Autum 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 107,211 US residents.
Is Autum a common name?
We classify Autum as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,299 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Autum most popular?
The single biggest year for Autum was 1998, when 146 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Autum is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Autum a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Autum in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.