August

When Queen Alexandrina Victoria took the English throne in 1837, the world of naming changed. Along with returning medieval favorites like Alfred and Edith, parents created new names from nature. Month names were part of that larger category. Yet, not all popular nature names at the time were truly new. 

August was one of these nature names that had a little history before entering widespread use in the nineteenth century. It was originally adopted as an international form of the Roman name Augustus, which was itself adopted by the first Roman Emperor. 

I'm not sure if August became popular in Victorian England. However, the nature name trend migrated to the United States. Either way, August became an American hit. August was a top 100 name through the 1880s and the beginning of the 1890s. Interestingly, the nature name trend seemed to cover girls' names rather than boys' names. Pearl, Hazel, and Olive all ranked within the top 100 during the 1880s. For boys', August was pretty much the only popular nature name. 

After its peak decade, August declined gradually until hitting its low point at #929 in 1983. From then on, August started to rise again. It's likely that August will return to the top 100 within this decade. Even though its usage is timeless, August isn't quite a classic. Instead, because of its unusual masculine natural feel, August feels like a vintage nature name making a comeback. The name has started to be used for girls in recent years, too. 

While August has only been popular in the United States and foreign languages, it's about to change. This February, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank of England gave birth to a son named August Philip Hawke. Hence, August is bound to feel more regal in the future. For now, though, August remains a timeless vintage charmer with international and natural appeal. It also has nickname options, including Auggie, Gus, and Gussie.

STYLES:

Formal, Nature, Vintage

SISTERS:

Beatrix, Edith, Hazel, Ingrid, Ruby, Violet

BROTHER NAMES:

Arlo, Emmett, Hugo, Jasper, Quentin, Silas

ALTERNATIVES:

Angus, Auden, Forrest, Gustave, Magnus, Roscoe

What do you think about August? Do you agree that it's poised to rise up the charts?