August History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The Emilia Romagna region of Italy is the locale where the August surname was first found. Although the people in this region were at one time known by only a single, personal name, it later became necessary for them to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. August is one of the Italian patronymic surnames, created from the father's given name. The surname August came from the personal name Agostino. This personal name is derived from the Latin word "augustus," which means "favored with good omens."

Early Origins of the August family

The surname August was first found in Ferrara, a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. One of the first records of the name was Eugenio Agostini who was listed there in 923. Also around this time, Alessandro Agostini was secretary of the Duke and another Alessandro Agostini, of the same family in Ferrara, was the Councillor of Alfonso I.

Early History of the August family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our August research. The years 1436, 1461, 1464, 1468, 1534, 1583, 1618, 1629, 1650, 1727 and 1759 are included under the topic Early August History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

August Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name August include Agosta, Agostani, Agostaro, Agostena, Agosti, Agostinetti, Agostini, Agostinis, Agostino, Agostinone, Agosto, Agostoni, Agustoni, Augusti, Augusto, Augustoni, D'Agostino, DeAgostini and many more.

Early Notables of the August family

Prominent among members of the family was

Guido Agosti of Brescia who was in the council; Obizzo Agosti was supreme Captain of the Brescian military; Lodovico Agosti was Archbishop of Spalato in the 12th century; in the 13th century Girolamo...

August Ranking

In the United States, the name August is the 4,371^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in South Africa, the name August is ranked the 805^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,631 people with that name. 2

August migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name August:

August Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas August, who landed in South Carolina in 1695 3

August Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Friederich August, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 3
Ludwig August, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3

August Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P M August, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 3
Charles August, aged 35, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1850 3
Sebastian August, aged 23, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1854 3
Lars August, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1869 3

August migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

August Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William August, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 12th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
George August, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Nichol" in 1842 5
Mr. James August, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name August (post 1700) +

Rose August, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1944 7
Robert B. August, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Avon; Elected 1954 7
Herbert M. August, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 6th District, 1962 7
Jack L. August (1954-2017), American academic, Arizona's state historian
Denise Marie Quiñones August (b. 1980), Puerto Rican winner of the Miss Universe competition
Bille August (b. 1948), Danish film director
Caleb August Southern (1969-2023), American musician, record producer and computer science lecturer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the "fourth member" of Ben Folds Five
Count Ludwig August Mellin (1754-1835), Baltic German politician, cartographer, writer and publicist, best known for creating the first professional atlas visualizing Livonia in 1798
Jacon August Rits (1849-1914), Danish/American journalist
John August Swanson (1938-2021), American visual artist who worked primarily in the medium of serigraphy, as well as oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, lithography, and etching

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 28th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM NICHOL 1842. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1842WilliamNichol.gif
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html