Austa
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Ancient Greek meaning "royal" or "august".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Austa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Austa today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Austa births was 1899 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Austa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Austa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1899
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1992 SSA rank
#13,496
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Austa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Austa from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Austa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Austa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Austa
The name Austa is of ancient Germanic origin, and its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period around the 6th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "austra," which means "eastern" or "from the east." This suggests that the name may have been used to identify individuals who came from or lived in eastern regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Austa can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 7th to the 13th centuries. In this collection, there is a record of a woman named Austa who lived in the region of present-day Germany during the 9th century.
Throughout history, the name Austa has been associated with a few notable individuals. One of the earliest was Austa of Treves, a Frankish noblewoman who lived in the 5th century AD and was known for her piety and charitable works. Another notable bearer of the name was Austa of Saxony, a medieval German noblewoman who lived in the 11th century and was known for her involvement in religious affairs.
In the realm of literature, the name Austa appears in the Old English epic poem "Beowulf," which dates back to around the 8th century AD. In the poem, Austa is mentioned as the daughter of a Danish king, though her role in the narrative is relatively minor.
During the Middle Ages, the name Austa was also found in various Germanic and Scandinavian regions. For instance, there is a record of an Austa who was a member of the Swedish nobility in the 13th century. Additionally, a woman named Austa is mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of historical and literary accounts from the medieval period.
Another notable bearer of the name Austa was a German noblewoman who lived in the 16th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for the Protestant Reformation. This Austa was a contemporary of Martin Luther and was recognized for her role in promoting the spread of Protestant beliefs in her region.
While the name Austa has historical roots and has been used throughout various periods and regions, it is relatively uncommon in modern times. However, its ancient Germanic origins and connections to medieval literature and history make it a unique and intriguing name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Austa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Austa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Austa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Austa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Austa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Austa a common name?
We classify Austa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Austa most popular?
The single biggest year for Austa was 1899, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Austa is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Austa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Austa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Austa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Austa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Austa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Austa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Austa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.