AUGUST
August is a surname of Latin origin, deriving from the personal name Augustus, which itself is rooted in the Latin word augustus meaning venerable or great. The term was originally a title bestowed upon Roman emperors, denoting dignity and exaltation, and later it was adopted as a given name. As a family name, it generally signifies a connection to an ancestor called Augustus or to someone who embodied qualities of honour and greatness.
The name entered European usage in the twelfth century, brought back by Crusaders who returned from the Holy Land. In the medieval period it appeared in several spellings, including August, Augustine, Augustin, Austin and Austen. Churches and monasteries founded by St Augustine of Canterbury in the seventh century helped sustain the name’s popularity on the continent, whereas in Britain it fell from favour after the Reformation and the perceived association with the old religion, though it remained in use in private estates and legal documents.
Early documentary evidence of the surname dates to the after‑Henry the First era of the fifteenth century. The first known instance is John Augustyn, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire for the year 1272. Subsequent examples include Mariota Augustin of Huntingdon in 1273 and Nicholas Augustin in the Worcester Subsidy Rolls of 1275. In the sixteenth century Gertrude Augustin was married to Guillbart Wylkison at St Antholins church in London (1596), and a later record shows Frances August of Greenwich marrying Mary Fisher at Canterbury in 1663.
Throughout the Middle Ages the surname spread across Europe, appearing in England, Germany, France and Sweden. Variants such as Augustin, Augustine, Augustyn and Auguste are well documented in regional records, and occasionally the surname appears as D’August, De August or Di August in Latinised forms. The name has no exclusive affiliation with a single nation; it has been adopted wherever Latin, Christian and medieval influences were strong.
In the present day the surname August is most common overseas, with a significant presence in the United States, Brazil and Germany, largely reflecting migration patterns rather than the original historical distribution. Nevertheless, its ancient roots in the Latin term for “venerable” continue to cast the name in a dignified light for those who bear it today. For genealogists and historians, tracing the various spellings and early records offers insight into the mobility and social standing of families who carried this name throughout the centuries.
Typical given names associated with the August surname
Male
- Christopher
- Daniel
- Darryl
- David
- Gary
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Piers
- Richard
- Robert
- Simon
Female
- Alison
- Anita
- Caroline
- Christine
- Doreen
- Fiona
- Gillian
- Hannah
- Helen
- Julie
- Kathryn
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Augst
- Agusti
- Agusta
- Agusto
- Auguiste
- Augousti
- Augus
- Augusta
- Auguste
- Augusti
- Augusto
- Accetta
- Acosta
- Acquisto
- Agasti
- Agosta
- Agosti
- Agosto
- Akast
- Akesode
- Aksit
- Aksut
- Augoustatos
- Augustaitis
- Augusthy
- Augustian
- Augustin
- Augustinas
- Augustine
- Augustino
- Augustinus
- Augustson
- Augustsson
- Augustus
- Augustyn
- Augustynek
- Axt
- Augustynik
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname August in...
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There are approximately 340 people named August in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named August.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named August
- Ernst August - Hanoverian prince (1914 to 1987)
- Philip August - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.