UK boy's name
Augustus
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "venerable" or "illustrious".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Augustus is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Augustus popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #880, with 36 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 36 births.
This profile covers 564 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Augustus is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 567 living people in the UK are called Augustus. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Augustus ranked #880 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 36 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 36 boys were registered as Augustus.
- • Augustus ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
- • About 567 living people in the UK are estimated to have Augustus as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#880
2024
Births in 2024
36
Latest year
Peak year
2024
36 births
Estimated living
567
2026
Meaning
What does Augustus mean?
The name Augustus has its origins in the Latin word "Augustus", which means "venerable" or "consecrated". It was originally a title bestowed upon the first Roman emperor, Gaius Octavius, by the Roman Senate in 27 BC. The name became associated with imperial grandeur and majesty.
Augustus was a significant name in Roman history, as it was the title held by the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The first person to bear the name was Gaius Octavius, who was born in 63 BC and later became known as Augustus Caesar after his great-uncle Julius Caesar's assassination.
The name Augustus also appears in various ancient texts, including the works of Roman historians such as Suetonius and Tacitus, who chronicled the reigns of the Roman emperors. It is mentioned in religious texts as well, notably in the Bible, where it is referenced in connection with the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Augustus as a given name dates back to the 4th century AD, when it was borne by the Roman emperor Augustus (also known as Aurelius Augustinus), who reigned from 326 to 337 AD.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Augustus. These include Augustus III (1670-1733), the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania; Augustus Frederick (1773-1843), the Duke of Sussex and son of King George III of the United Kingdom; and Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), the renowned American sculptor known for his public monuments and memorials.
Other famous individuals with the name Augustus include Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), the English architect and designer who played a crucial role in the Gothic Revival movement, and Augustus John (1878-1961), the Welsh painter and etcher who was known for his portraits and landscapes.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Augustus over time
The chart below shows babies named Augustus registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Augustus, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 36 births in 2024, compared with 36 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Augustus by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Augustus was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1086 | 139 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1367 | 188 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1205 | 168 | 10 |
| 1990s | #887 | 69 | 4 |
Geography
Where Augustus is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Augustus. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Augustus ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
Across the UK
Augustus in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#614 in 2023
1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#404 in 2024
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Augustus
-
Augustus Barratt
composer; songwriter; lyricist
Scottish-American composer and lyricist
1873-1947
Related
Names similar to Augustus
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Augustus: questions and answers
How popular is the name Augustus in the UK right now?
In 2024, Augustus was ranked #880 for boys in England and Wales, with 36 births registered.
When was Augustus most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 36 babies registered as Augustus in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Augustus?
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "venerable" or "illustrious".
How many people are called Augustus in the UK?
A total of 564 babies have been registered as Augustus across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Augustus most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Augustus ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #404 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.