The surname Austin?

Question

Is it likely that my ancestors are of French origin if my surname is Austin?

It could also be Italian but I thought it more likely to be French if I am British because of the Anglo-Normans. Don't know if I'm right though?

Answer 1

It could be a Huguenot name - or a corruption of a Huguenot name.

http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/histor...

Answer 2

English, French, and German: from the personal name Austin, a vernacular form of Latin Augustinus, a derivative of Augustus. This was an extremely common personal name in every part of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, owing its popularity chiefly to St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430), whose influence on Christianity is generally considered to be second only to that of St. Paul. Various religious orders came to be formed following rules named in his honor, including the ‘Austin canons’, established in the 11th century, and the ‘Austin friars’, a mendicant order dating from the 13th century. The popularity of the personal name in England was further increased by the fact that it was borne by St. Augustine of Canterbury (died c. 605), an Italian Benedictine monk known as ‘the Apostle of the English’, who brought Christianity to England in 597 and founded the see of Canterbury.

German: from a reduced form of the personal name Augustin.

Answer 3

This is what I found for you,

Surname: Austin

This famous surname derives originally from the Roman (Latin) "Augustine", and is the medieval vernacular form, being first recorded as a surname in the 13th Century (see below). The first Archbishop of Canterbury was St. Augustine, who died in 605 A.D., however, the name totally lost popularity until the 12th Century, when, during the Christian revival period, also associated with the Crusades, the religious order known as "The Austin Canons" was established. The present name is probably habitational in origin, as the order was celibate, and referred to people who worked at the various properties owned by the order. As the popularity of the "Austin" order spread, the name became baptismal in its own right. A Coat of Arms was granted to the Austins of Surrey in 1611, being silver with three black chevrons, the centre being charged with three gold crosses. The name was introduced early into America, Edward Austin, aged 26 yrs., being a passenger on the "Speedwell" from London in May 1625. Less happy circumstances attended Thomas Austin of Somerset, who, on October 12th 1685, was ordered by "Bloody" Judge Jeffreys to be transported to Barbados or any other of his majesty's plantations for being convicted of being a "Monmouth rebel". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Austin, which was dated 1275, in the "County Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The origin of your ancestors IS NOT based on your surname, since it never is guaranteed that a name is automatically from only one country.  

The above answers have to do with where generic files about surname etymology, say it "comes" from.  Look carefully.. they say Austin can be from several places.  

Nothing wrong with name histories.. except they are not not not the same as genealogy.  Your ancestors are French.. IF YOU can or have traced your lineage back, and are actually descended from a person from France (Italy, wherever).

If you actually research your ancestry.. using valid records.. there is never any "likely" involved, or confusion if you are right or not.  YOUR ancestry will SHOW where the ancestors originated.

Answer 5

Medieval contracted form of AUGUSTINE (1). Modern use of the name is probably also partly inspired by the common surname Austin, which is of the same origin. This is also the name of a city in Texas.

Answer 6

From Ancestry.com:

Austin Name Meaning and History

English, French, and German: from the personal name Austin, a vernacular form of Latin Augustinus, a derivative of Augustus. This was an extremely common personal name in every part of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, owing its popularity chiefly to St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430), whose influence on Christianity is generally considered to be second only to that of St. Paul. Various religious orders came to be formed following rules named in his honor, including the ‘Austin canons’, established in the 11th century, and the ‘Austin friars’, a mendicant order dating from the 13th century. The popularity of the personal name in England was further increased by the fact that it was borne by St. Augustine of Canterbury (died c. 605), an Italian Benedictine monk known as ‘the Apostle of the English’, who brought Christianity to England in 597 and founded the see of Canterbury.

German: from a reduced form of the personal name Augustin.

Answer 7

In addition to the excellent answers that other posters have provided, Ancestry.com lists ports of origin for the Austin surname for those immigrants entering the Port of New York:

Liverpool England & Queenstown, Ireland--34%

Aspinwall, Panama--9%

London, England--8%

Glasgow, Scotland--5%

Other ports--26%

The 1891 Census of England and Wales gives the following percentage for the Austin surname:

London--20%

Kent--8%

Warwickshire--3%

Stratfordshire--7%

Yorkshire--5%

Lancashire--7%

Thus, Austin is a last name that appears in the North and South of England as well as the Midlands.

The 1891 Census for Scotland finds the following percentages of Austins in these counties:

Lanarkshire--41%

Dumfrieshire--24%

Kirkcudbrightshire--22%

Ayrshire--21%

Renfrewshire--13%

Aberdeenshire--8%

Except for those Scottish Austins living in Aberdeenshire, Austin appears to be primarily a surname for Lowland Scots within Scotland itself.

BTW, Stephen F. Austin's earliest ancestor to immigrate to the American Colonies was Anthony Austin (b. 1635/36 in Bishipstoooke, Hampshire, England; d. 22 Aug 1708 in Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut).  The empresario's earliest known ancestor was Henry Austin (b. 1374 in Horsmonden, Kent, England; d. 1450 England).  Since the Normans invaded England in 1066, it's way too late in 1374 to determine if someone with the Austin surname was a descendant of the Normans.

Bottomline:  To establish your own particular Austin ancestry, you'll need to trace your pedigree ancestor by ancestor instead of relying only on your last name's supposed national origin.  Austins popped up in throughout England and Scotland during the High Middle Ages.