The name started with my Great Grandfather Agustin Tirado. He lived in Puerto Rico most of his life but decided to move to the mainland to find a better life for his family. Having brought nothing with him, he had to start from scratch. He worked hard to build a better life for his family and eventually started his own Bodega. A few years later he even owned his own bar. He went from nothing to owning multiple Bodegas and a bar just to provide his family with a better life. I think he was able to live up to his name’s meaning as I hope to one day do.

The name Agustin/Augustine means “venerable, noble” according to (the Online Etymology Dictionary). The word venerable means to be held with a great deal of respect. I think this name was very fitting for my Great Grandfather. Everyone that knew him respected him a great deal. While my Great Grandfather lived up to the name, I can’t really say that I’m respected to claim that I am venerable; therefore, I find meaning in the history of the name. To me the name Augustine means to strive for the best as my Great Grandfather did. In this sense, I think the name fits me perfectly.

Considering the interesting meaning behind the name I would think that more people would be named Augustine, but I have only met one other person outside of my family named Augustine. According to the SSA there were only a handful of people given the name Augustine for my birth year, but it has been gaining popularity in the past decade or so. The name has placed in the top 1,000 most popular baby names since 2012. Currently it is placed at 623rd and if the trend continued it could be in the 500s in a few years (SSA.gov).

 Honestly, I like the fact that the name is less common. I feel like it makes the name have more meaning behind it, because common things tend to loose meaning and are taken for granted. Also, I already have four Augustines in my family, I wouldn’t want more running around. At the end of the day though, all of us Ausugtines have our work cut out for us; we should all strive for the best to hopefully, one day live up to our name.

Works Cited

“Etymonline.” Etymonline.com, 2022, www.etymonline.com/word/Augustine. Accessed 09 Feb. 2025.

OACT. “Popular Baby Names.” Www.ssa.gov, www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025. 

Timmons, Tiffany. Photo of Augustine. 31 Jul. 2023. Author's personal collection.