August
Masculine · Latin roots · “Venerable”
August is given to both — 68,182 boys and 6,270 girls since 1880. See August as a girl nameSee other names given to both
August began as a Roman honorific — the title the Senate gave Octavian — and ended up on every calendar in the Western world, which means it arrives already legible to everyone. In German and Scandinavian hands it lost the Latin ending and became the crisp two-syllable name it is now, carried by the playwright August Wilson and by August Strindberg before him. It shortens, without any effort, to Gus.
How old is the name August?
August was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical August is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name August most popular?
August peaked in 1880, reaching #74 nationally. Today it ranks #81, 7 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From augustus (Latin, 'venerable') to August
The story of August
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, and the word — until then an adjective meaning venerable or consecrated — became a name and then an imperial style. Later emperors kept it, medieval clergy inherited it through saints named Augustine and Augustus, and continental Europe trimmed it down: German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian all settled on plain August. Kings and electors of Saxony and Poland bore it into the eighteenth century, and German and Scandinavian families brought it to the United States, where it has been on the records since the earliest years they were kept. Its most recent turn upward is a fresh one, so most people carrying it now are children rather than adults.
Meaning
Venerable, majestic, exalted
From Latin augustus, an adjective of dignity connected to augere, 'to increase'. The eighth month takes its name from the same source.
Cultural footprint
August Wilson (b. 1945) — Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fences
August Strindberg (b. 1849) — Father of modern Swedish drama
August Möbius (b. 1790) — The mathematician of the Möbius strip
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- augustusLatin, 'venerable'
- Augustus
- August
- Augusta
Related forms: Augustus · August · Auguste · Augusto · August · Avgust
Pronouncing August
AW-gust
Stress lands on the first syllable, exactly as in the month. The English adjective 'august' stresses the second (aw-GUST), which occasionally causes a moment's hesitation from readers meeting the name in print. German speakers say ow-GOOST.
Nicknames for August
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20253,958 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #74reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +15.7%3,958 in 2025, from 3,420
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
August in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Augustus in Latin — same name
- August in German — same name
- Auguste in French — same name
- Augusto in Italian — same name
- August in Polish — same name
- Avgust in Russian — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Augusts among us
people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 432 born in 2025 was named August
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
August 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where August is headed
August looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 18% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
August beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to August in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A spelling nobody has to be taught — it appears on every calendar and needs no repeating over the phone.
- Two ready-made short forms with centuries of use behind them: Gus and Auggie.
- The same spelling works in German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, so it travels without adjustment.
- An unbroken written record from Roman antiquity through European royalty to modern American usage.
- It is a month, and people will ask whether the baby was born in it. Fine either way, but the question will come up more than once.
- The English word 'august' shifts its stress to the second syllable, so expect the occasional first-time mispronunciation from someone reading it rather than hearing it.
- For a girl, this exact spelling is heavily outnumbered by the boys, so forms and rosters will often assume a boy. Augusta and Augustine are the traditionally feminine relatives if that matters to you.
- Some people will assume it is short for Augustus and ask what the full name is.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put August to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on August? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
August
Masculine · Latin roots · #81 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Augusts are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name August in 2025?
- August ranks #81 among US boy names in 2025, with 3,958 babies given the name.
- How common is the name August?
- About 1 in every 432 US boys born in 2025 was named August — 3,958 in all.
- Will my child share the name August with classmates?
- August will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside August
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aaron#80 · Theo#82 · Axel#79 · Ian#83 · Walker#78 · Adriel#84 · Luka#85 · Everett#77
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles August? See the current top 100.
Choosing between August and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle