Head to head · Boys' names
Augustine vs Ozzy
#545 vs #548 in 2025
Augustine is a whisker ahead (#545 vs #548 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Augustine is back after a long quiet spell, Ozzy is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Ozzy has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Augustine leads 5 measures of 6; Ozzy leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Augustine #638, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1890s: Augustine #738, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1900s: Augustine #654, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1910s: Augustine #562, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1920s: Augustine #498, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1930s: Augustine #570, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1940s: Augustine #645, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1950s: Augustine #723, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1960s: Augustine #792, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1970s: Augustine #858, Ozzy — — Augustine higher
- 1980s: Augustine #980, Ozzy #4121 — Augustine higher
- 1990s: Augustine #1147, Ozzy #3152 — Augustine higher
- 2000s: Augustine #1151, Ozzy #2267 — Augustine higher
- 2010s: Augustine #892, Ozzy #2032 — Augustine higher
- 2020s: Augustine #609, Ozzy #679 — Augustine higher
Augustine stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Augustine | Ozzy |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #638 | — |
| 1890s | #738 | — |
| 1900s | #654 | — |
| 1910s | #562 | — |
| 1920s | #498 | — |
| 1930s | #570 | — |
| 1940s | #645 | — |
| 1950s | #723 | — |
| 1960s | #792 | — |
| 1970s | #858 | — |
| 1980s | #980 | #4121 |
| 1990s | #1147 | #3152 |
| 2000s | #1151 | #2267 |
| 2010s | #892 | #2032 |
| 2020s | #609 | #679 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Augustine
venerable, majestic
Latin Augustinus is a diminutive of Augustus, the title meaning 'venerable, consecrated, majestic', from augere, 'to increase'.
Augustus → Augustinus → Augustine → Austin
How it traveled
The name begins as Latin Augustinus, a diminutive of Augustus — the honorific taken by Rome's first emperor and by every emperor after him. Christianity carried it far past Rome: Augustine of Hippo in North Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries, and Augustine of Canterbury, sent to England in 597, made it a churchman's name across Western Europe.
Ozzy
Short form of Oswald, Osborn or Oscar; the shared Os- element is Old English and Old Norse for 'a god'
Ozzy has no meaning of its own — it takes one from whichever longer name it stands for, and more than one has a serious claim. Through Oswald (Old English os 'god' + weald 'rule') it reads as 'divine power'. Through Osborn it is os plus beorn, 'bear', giving 'god-bear'. Through Oscar the line runs to Irish Oscar or Norse Ásgeirr, 'god's spear'. The Os- is constant; what follows it is not.
Ōsweald → Oswald → Ossie → Ozzie → Ozzy
How it traveled
The Os- names came into England with the Anglo-Saxons, and Oswald was carried by a seventh-century king of Northumbria, which kept it alive in English use long after most of its Germanic cousins faded. From those names — Oswald, Osborn, Osbourne, and later Oscar — English speakers made the pet forms Ossie, Ozzie and Ozzy.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Augustine
aw-GUS-tin
Also said AW-gus-teen, the form usual in Britain and in the name of St. Augustine, Florida. Both are established in American English, so expect to correct people either way.
- Gus — The most common short form; also stands alone as a given name and is shared with Augustus and Gustav.
- Auggie — Informal, often used in childhood; sometimes spelled Augie.
- Austin — Historically the contracted English form of the same name, now overwhelmingly used as an independent given name and surname.
- Tino — Informal short form carried over from Spanish Agustín.
Ozzy
OZ-ee
First syllable with the vowel of 'hot', a buzzing z, stress at the front. No real variation in English.
- Oz — The one clipping in real use; informal, and short enough to work on a jersey or a school locker.
- Ozzie — The alternate spelling of the same nickname, used interchangeably in speech and often by relatives who write it their own way.
- Oswald — Works in reverse — a longer formal name some families put on the birth certificate with Ozzy as the everyday name.
- Oscar — The other common long form behind Ozzy, widely used as a given name in its own right in English and across Europe.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Augustine if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAugustine runs 3 syllables, Ozzy 2
- a long American recordAugustine was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 57% for Ozzy
Choose Ozzy if you want…
- a name on the way upup 498 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesOzzy is 2 syllables to Augustine's 3
- a newer arrivalOzzy entered the US charts in 1982
- a name that feels very nowOzzy is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Augustine
Strengths
- Two well-worn short forms, Gus and Auggie, both in real use for generations.
- A spelling nearly everyone can read, thanks to the saint, the Florida city and the Confessions.
- An unbroken written record from Roman antiquity to the present, with no gap in use.
To consider
- Two accepted pronunciations, aw-GUS-tin and AW-gus-teen, means a lifetime of small clarifications — worth deciding early which one your family uses.
- The religious weight is real. For many people the name means the bishop of Hippo first, which some families love and others would rather not carry.
- Four syllables on paper, and most people will reach for Gus or Auggie in daily life. If you dislike either, that is useful to know now.
Ozzy
Strengths
- Reads and spells itself for anyone who sees it once — two syllables, no silent letters, nothing to explain over the phone.
- Comes with a ready-made formal option: Oswald, Osborn or Oscar on the paperwork, Ozzy every day, if you want both.
- Uncommon enough in American classrooms that a child is unlikely to share it, while the sound is already familiar to adults.
To consider
- Ozzy and Ozzie are both in use, so expect the question 'with a y or an ie?' for life, and expect the other version on some forms and party invitations.
- The singer's name is the reason most Americans recognize the spelling, and some people will mention him. That association is affectionate more often than not, but it does come attached.
- It is a nickname doing full-time work. Some parents want a longer name behind it for a résumé or a diploma; others are content that it stands alone, which it now does.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Augustine
30%chance Augustine feels dated by 2040
Augustine is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Ozzy
57%chance Ozzy feels dated by 2040
Ozzy is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Augustine and Ozzy in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Augustine and Ozzy?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Nine-letter names, the long end of the chart
- The longest comebacks in the records
- all guides
Where Augustine and Ozzy each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Augustine or Ozzy — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Augustine or Ozzy?
- Augustine, in 2025: Augustine ranked #545 with 549 babies; Ozzy ranked #548 with 548 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Augustine or Ozzy?
- Ozzy. Over the last five years Augustine moved up 166 places; Ozzy moved up 498 places.
- Which is the older name, Augustine or Ozzy?
- Augustine was already in use when US records began in 1880; Ozzy entered the US charts in 1982. On the American record, Augustine is the older name.
- How many people are named Augustine and Ozzy?
- About 11,500 people named Augustine are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 4,100 people named Ozzy are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Augustines or Ozzys in the classroom?
- Augustine will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ozzy will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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