August
A month, an emperor's title, and a boy called Gus
Popularity over time
August ranked #81 among boys born in the U.S. in 2025. Its highest rank was #74, in 1882. In 2000 it was #613. It is used for girls too: #962 among girls in 2025.
Rank among U.S. boys (#1 is the most common). Higher on the chart means more popular. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
How it sounds
Living with the name August
Every new person he meets will ask the same question: was he born in August? Have your answer ready, because it comes up at daycare, at the dentist and at every job interview. If he was born in March, the question becomes a small story he tells for life. Some families lean into it with a late-summer birthday, and that works too. The month and the first name are tied. The month was named for the Roman emperor Augustus, whose title meant "exalted" or "venerable."
Then there are the nicknames. Gus is the one that sticks most often, and Augie is the playful cousin. Both are friendlier than the full name, which can sound almost stiff in a classroom. Augie suits a baby in overalls, while Gus suits a toddler with grass stains. Some boys grow back into the full name as teenagers. If you dislike Gus, say so early, because grandparents love it.
AW-gust is two firm syllables, and the hard G gives it backbone. It pairs well with simple surnames like August Lee or August Ward. With a surname that also ends in a T, the endings can stack up. Middle names with a softer sound, like August Henry, round it out. German, Polish and Scandinavian families have used it for centuries, and three Polish kings carried it, so it travels well. On a baby it feels a bit grand. By 40, it fits like a good wool coat.
Things to consider
- Half the people he meets will make the birth-month joke. It is gentle and well meant, but it never stops, so it helps if you find it charming rather than tiring, since you will hear it too.
- Gus may take over the full name within a year. If that bothers you, choose a middle name that offers a second nickname, or simply use August firmly at home.
- On a family tree next to an Augusta or Augustine, it can look like a copy. Check what older relatives were called, in case it reads as a tribute you did not mean.
Well-known namesakes
- Augustus, the first Roman emperor, whose title gave the month its name
Names that pair well
Sibling names
Middle names to try
- August Henry
- August Samuel
- August Philip
- August Reid
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Questions parents ask about August
Is August only for babies born in summer?
No. Plenty of Augusts are born in other months, since the name comes from the emperor Augustus as much as from the calendar. In German and Scandinavian use it is simply a form of Augustus, with no link to a birthday at all. A winter baby named August just gets a better story.
Is the name related to the word august?
Yes, they share a root. The adjective, said aw-GUST, means grand or dignified, and it comes from the same Latin word as the emperor's title. As a first name, though, almost everyone puts the stress on the first syllable, so the two rarely get confused out loud. On paper, the capital A does the sorting.
How do Germans and Swedes say August?
In German it is close to OW-goost, with the "ow" of "cow." Swedish and Norwegian versions sound similar, with small vowel shifts. English speakers say AW-gust, so a family with ties to Europe may happily use both, depending on who is talking. Polish speakers say it much like the Germans do.
Meanings and origins follow the name dictionaries listed below. Where sources disagree we say so. Nicknames mix common short forms with informal ones families make up. A name's meaning says nothing about who a child will become.
Sources
- behindthename.com /name/august
- behindthename.com /name/augustus
- en.wiktionary.org /wiki/August
- U.S. Social Security Administration baby name data, popularity ranks
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