Latin3 syllablesSaint's name
Meaning: venerable; majestic, worthy of honour.
Augustine
| Origin | Latin — Augustinus, a diminutive of the imperial name Augustus |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Venerable, majestic, from Latin augustus (consecrated, worthy of honour) |
| Pronunciation | aw-GUS-tin in Britain; AW-gus-teen is common in America, and is how the Florida city is said |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100 and rare in America, where August and Augustus get more use; commoner as Agustín in Spanish and Augustin in French |
| Variants | Augustin, Agustín, Agostinho, Agostino, Augustinus, Austin |
| Nicknames | Gus, Auggie, Tino (from Agustín) |
| Feast day | 28 August, for Augustine of Hippo |
History & meaning
In 27 BC the Roman senate voted Octavian the title augustus — consecrated, venerable, more than merely human. It became a name, then bred a diminutive, Augustinus, which is what a Roman family in North Africa gave a son born at Thagaste in 354. That son wrote the Confessions and the City of God, argued Christianity into a shape it kept for a millennium, and made his name a permanent fixture of the Western calendar.
The second Augustine did the practical work. In 596 Pope Gregory sent a monk of that name to Kent; he landed in 597, converted King Æthelberht, and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. English speakers used the name so heavily in the Middle Ages that they wore it down to Austin — Augustinian friars were the Austin friars, and the surname followed. Spain carried the name to Florida, where a fleet sighted land on the saint's feast day in 1565 and founded St Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. The full form has never been common in America, which is much of what recommends it now.
Why parents choose it
It gives you Gus. That is not a small thing: a three-syllable Latin name with intellectual and religious weight that collapses instantly into one of the most likeable nicknames available. Augustine also lets a family use the August sound without picking the month, and it has a genuine saint behind it for parents who want one.
Middle names for Augustine
Long and Latinate wants short and blunt: Augustine Cole, Augustine James, Augustine Reid, Augustine Wolf. The middle names guide works through longer first names in detail.
Famous Augustines
Augustine of Hippo, the theologian, whose Confessions is often called the first Western autobiography. Augustine of Canterbury, who brought the Roman mission to England in 597. Augustin-Louis Cauchy, the French mathematician who put calculus on rigorous ground.
Consider instead
August is the same root, two syllables shorter, and currently the more used of the pair. Aurelius matches the late-Roman gravity if that is the register you want. Julian keeps the Latin lineage in a softer, more familiar package.