Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1995

Austen

Meaning An English surname transferred from the given name Gender Unisex · 14% girls Rank 2025 #2,518 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

An English surname transferred from the given name; a variant of Austin.

Rank 2025
#2,518
among boys · ↓560 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
97
named Austen · -28% vs 2024
How common
1 in 32,228
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1995
567 babies
All-time total
9,416
#1,364 all-time among boys
First recorded
1917
in Social Security records

Austen popularity over time

9,416 babies have been named Austen since 1917, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 5 5 1 – #4,030
1920s – 18 18 2 +260% #3,412
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 5 5 1 – #4,022
1960s – 5 5 1 0% #4,177
1970s – 68 68 7 +1260% #2,388
1980s 99 851 950 95 +1297% #744
1990s 220 3,712 3,932 393 +314% #420
2000s 143 1,867 2,010 201 -49% #706
2010s 500 1,182 1,682 168 -16% #1,178
2020s (to 2025) 329 412 741 124 -27% #1,945

Where Austen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 51 0.03 outside top 500
2027 49 0.03 outside top 500
2028 47 0.03 outside top 500
2029 46 0.03 outside top 500
2030 45 0.03 outside top 500

Where Austen is most popular

Boys named Austen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.039 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, California, and Massachusetts.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Austen born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 6 0.079 +101%
California 37 0.040 ≈ national
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -8%
Texas 28 0.032 -19%
Florida 10 0.021 -46%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -50%
New York 5 0.012 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Austen

Austen is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,518 in 2025 with 53 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1917, 9,416 American babies have been named Austen, about 86% boys and 14% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1995, when 567 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Austen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Austen?

The median living Austen is about 26 years old; half are between 15 and 31. An estimated 9,200 people named Austen are alive in the United States today.

median 26 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Austen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 44 #3,469 53 #2,518
2024 55 #2,976 80 #1,958
2023 53 #3,101 60 #2,319
2022 57 #2,930 70 #2,119
2021 71 #2,488 77 #1,945
2020 49 #3,185 72 #1,979
2019 72 #2,453 108 #1,549
2018 53 #3,059 80 #1,874
2017 73 #2,468 88 #1,748
2016 92 #2,118 95 #1,664
2015 61 #2,850 120 #1,427
2014 43 #3,596 127 #1,348
2013 25 #5,336 125 #1,353
2012 26 #5,279 139 #1,266
2011 28 #4,937 150 #1,178
2010 27 #5,123 150 #1,196
2009 17 #7,375 147 #1,218
2008 8 #12,730 170 #1,090
2007 20 #6,594 166 #1,098
2006 21 #6,157 202 #932
2005 11 #9,543 184 #950
2004 12 #8,794 157 #1,039
2003 16 #6,929 174 #942
2002 16 #6,736 205 #819
2001 12 #8,258 214 #788
2000 10 #9,250 248 #706
1995 27 #3,892 540 #420
1990 17 #5,315 210 #705
1985 15 #4,881 80 #1,021
1980 6 #9,191 39 #1,548
1975 – – 11 #3,266
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 5 #4,250
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Austen

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Austen Chamberlain Austen Chamberlain British politician (1863–1937) 19th century
  2. 2 Austen Henry Layard Austen Henry Layard British archaeologist and politician (1817–1894) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Austen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Austen?

The median living Austen is about 26 years old. Half of all living Austens are between 15 and 31 years old.

How many people named Austen are alive today?

An estimated 9,200 people named Austen are alive in the United States, based on 9,416 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Austen mean?

An English surname transferred from the given name; a variant of Austin.

How popular is the name Austen in 2025?

Austen ranked #2,518 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 53 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Austen?

9,416 babies have been named Austen in the United States since 1917, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Austen most popular?

Austen peaked in 1995, when 567 newborns received the name.

Is Austen a boy or girl name?

Austen is used for both: about 14% of babies named Austen have been girls and 86% boys.

Is the name Austen rising or falling?

Austen is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Austen become more popular?

Austen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 45 boys named Austen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Austen?

Well-known people named Austen include Austen Chamberlain (politician), Austen Henry Layard (archaeologist).

Names like Austen

Names that sound and feel close to Austen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Austen with similar names → More names starting with A →