Austun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Austun family name is derived from the given name Austin, which was the vernacular form of the Latin name "Augustus", meaning "majestic." As a personal name, Augustine was popular due to St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) who had a great influence on early Christianity, as well as St Augustine of Canterbury, first Archbishop of Canterbury, who founded the oldest see in England, in 597.

Early Origins of the Austun family

The surname Austun was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia where they held a family seat from ancient times.

"A whole column of Austin appears in the London Directory. The name was made common by the Austin Friars, or Black Canons, as they were often styled from their black cloaks, who were established early in the 12th century in England, and possessed of about 170 houses." 1

"It is confined for the most part to the central and eastern counties of the south of England; and does not extend in any frequency north of Derbyshire or west of Dorset. The counties of Kent and Oxford contain the greatest numbers of Austins. In the thirteenth century it was a common name in Cambridgeshire." 2

Early History of the Austun family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Austun research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1538, 1580, 1613, 1629, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1645, 1650, 1660, 1661, 1664, 1666, 1667, 1669, 1676, 1679, 1681, 1683, 1696, 1697, 1699, 1701, 1706, 1728, 1734, 1743 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Austun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Austun Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Austun were recorded, including Austin, Austins, Austen, Austeane, Ostian, Ousteane, Owstyne, Ostiane and many more.

Early Notables of the Austun family

Distinguished members of the family include John Austin or Austen (1613-1669), an English lawyer and controversial writer from Walpole, Suffolk; Katherine Austen (1629-ca.1683), English diarist and poet best known for Book M; Ralph Austen (died 1676), an English writer on gardening; Sir Robert Austen, 1st Baronet (c. 1580-1666) of Hall Place, Bexley, Kent, High Sheriff...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Austun Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Austun family to Ireland

Some of the Austun family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Austun family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Austun family emigrate to North America: David Austin, an early saddle-bag preacher who was ordained in the Presbytery of New York in 1788; David arrived in New York by way of Antrim; John Austin, the great grandfather of Rutherford Hayes, known as the ".

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.