Austen
Feminine · “venerable”
Austen is given to both — 1,291 girls and 8,125 boys since 1880. See Austen as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Austen is an English surname worn down from Augustine, which is worn down from Augustus — an imperial title meaning venerable. It is given to girls now largely because of one novelist.
How old is the name Austen?
Austen first appears in US birth records in 1980 — 45 years ago. The typical Austen is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,300 people named Austen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Austen most popular?
Austen peaked in 2016, reaching #2117 nationally. Today it ranks #3459, 1,342 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Where it comes from
From augustus to Austen
The story of Austen
Augustine of Hippo and Augustine of Canterbury between them made the name one of the standard medieval Christian ones, and English speakers wore it down in speech to Austin — which is why an English county has a place called Austin Friars. It became a surname in that form, and a Hampshire family of the name produced a novelist whose six books have never been out of print. That is why the name is now given to girls.
Meaning
venerable, worthy of honor
From Latin augustus, majestic or venerable, a title the Roman senate gave to the first emperor; Augustinus was the diminutive, borne by the great theologian, and medieval English contracted it to Austin and Austen.
How the name formed
- augustus
- Augustinus
- Austin
- Austen
Related forms: Austin · Augustinus · Agustín
Pronouncing Austen
AW-stin
Two syllables, first stressed. Austen and Austin are said identically.
Nicknames for Austen
Moderate
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
- 1980
- Most girls named
- 201692 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2117reached in 2016
- Change vs 2024
- −20.0%44 in 2025, from 55
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.
Austen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Austin in English — spelling variant
- Augustinus in Latin — related form
- Agustín in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Austens among us
people named Austen are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 36,529 born in 2025 was named Austen
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marcel test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Austen's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marcel climbed just as high around 1961, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marcel's path sketches the road Austen is walking now.
Austen sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Austen is headed
Austen should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Austen beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Austen in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a documented line back to a Roman imperial title.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- The literary association is a genuinely good one to carry.
- Austin is by far the more common spelling and is strongly read as a boys' name.
- The Texas city shares the sound and is the first association for many Americans.
- The novelist association is specific and will be mentioned for life.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Austen
Feminine · #3459 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Austens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Austen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Austen in 2025?
- Austen ranks #3459 among US girl names in 2025, with 44 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Austen?
- About 1 in every 36,529 US girls born in 2025 was named Austen — 44 in all.
- Will my child share the name Austen with classmates?
- Austen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Austen
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Janey#3459 · Devon#3459 · Nitya#3459 · Zayah#3459 · Lively#3459 · Kynsley#3459 · Anaiya#3459 · Ena#3459
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Austen? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Austen and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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
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