Augustus is a masculine given name of Latin origin. It was derived from the Latin word "august" which means great or magnificent. The name Augustus is also associated with the Roman emperors Augustus Caesar (63 BC - AD 14) who was the first emperor of the Roman Empire and Augustus Caesar II (AD 270-284), who was the last non-Christian Roman Emperor.
The name Augustus was popular among the early Christian church leaders, including Pope Saint Augustus I (died in 649). Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Augustus, such as Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) who was an English architect and Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778), a British theologian and poet.
In modern times, the name Augustus has seen a resurgence in popularity. According to data from the Social Security Administration, it ranked 663rd among boys' names in the United States in 2019.
Overall, the name Augustus carries with it a sense of grandeur and importance due to its Latin origins and historical associations with powerful figures. It is a strong and distinctive name that has stood the test of time.
The name Augustus has seen a varied level of popularity over the past century and a half, with fluctuations ranging from as few as five births in certain years to a high of thirteen in 2004. The most notable trends include a significant spike in popularity between 1991 and 1995, with eleven or more births each year, and another peak in the early 2000s, with ten or more births from 2001 to 2006. However, the name's popularity has been waning since then, with fewer than ten births annually between 2007 and 2022, excluding a brief spike to thirteen in 2014. Overall, there have been a total of 398 births with the name Augustus recorded during this period.