2000
#12,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Auguste
A French surname derived from the Latin "Augustus," meaning "great" or "venerable," likely referring to a respected ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,927 Americans carry the last name Auguste. That puts it at #7,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,567 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Auguste surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Auguste with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,567
Census rank
#7,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,297 bearers of the surname Auguste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Auguste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Auguste
The surname "AUGUSTE" has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the French word "auguste," which means "august" or "venerable." This word, in turn, traces its roots back to the Latin name "Augustus," which was initially a title of respect and later became the name of the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar.
The name "AUGUSTE" was likely initially bestowed upon individuals who were considered particularly distinguished or venerable within their communities. It may have been used as a descriptive surname, describing a person's character or status, before eventually becoming a hereditary family name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "AUGUSTE" can be found in the 14th century, when a nobleman named Jean Auguste was mentioned in the records of the French province of Burgundy. In the 15th century, a merchant named Pierre Auguste was documented in the city of Lyon, indicating the spread of the name beyond the nobility.
During the Renaissance period, the name "AUGUSTE" gained further prominence, particularly in artistic and literary circles. One notable bearer of the name was the French playwright and poet Pierre-Auguste Caron, better known as Molière (1622-1673), considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.
Another famous figure who bore the surname "AUGUSTE" was the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), a renowned Neoclassical painter whose works include masterpieces such as "The Grande Odalisque" and "La Source."
In the realm of science, the name is associated with the French mathematician and physicist Jean-Baptiste Auguste Chauveau (1827-1917), who made significant contributions to the study of animal physiology and the development of cinematography.
Moving into the 20th century, the surname "AUGUSTE" was carried by the French philosopher and writer Henri-Frédéric Auguste René, known as Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881), whose introspective journal became a widely read work of self-analysis and philosophical reflection.
It is worth noting that while the surname "AUGUSTE" has maintained a presence throughout the centuries, it is not among the most common surnames in France or other French-speaking regions today. Nevertheless, it remains a testament to the rich cultural and historical heritage of the French language and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Auguste
Among Census respondents with the surname Auguste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Auguste bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Auguste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.7% · 3,853
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 182
- White2.9% · 125
- Two or more races2.4% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Auguste
Auguste appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
+1,672 bearers (+72.4%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 4,020 places
2020
#7,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,297
+316 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,343 | 2,309 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,323 | 3,981 | 1.35 | +1,672 bearers (+72.4%) | Up 4,020 places |
| 2020 | #7,477 | 4,297 | 1.44 | +316 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 846 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Auguste surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,323 | #7,477 | 10.2% |
| Count | 3,981 | 4,297 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.44 | 6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Auguste bearers went from 3,981 to 4,297 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 846 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,323 to #7,477.
FAQ
Auguste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Auguste?
Name Census estimates that about 4,927 living Americans carry the surname Auguste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,567 residents.
How common is Auguste?
Auguste ranks #7,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,297 people with the surname Auguste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Auguste.
Has Auguste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Auguste went from 3,981 recorded bearers to 4,297. That is an increase of 316 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,323 to #7,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Auguste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Auguste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and White (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Auguste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (3,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Auguste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), White (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Auguste (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Auguste mean?
A French surname derived from the Latin "Augustus," meaning "great" or "venerable," likely referring to a respected ancestor. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Auguste (1.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Auguste?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.