Austin is an English surname, derived from the Latin first name Augustus. As a surname, it's also been found in Ireland as early as the fourteenth century. In the USA, it's most famous for being a place name; the capital of Texas. As a boys' name, it's been in use since at least the 1880s. It was used consistently throughout the 20th century until the 1980s when it started to get more popular. It hit its peak of popularity in the mid 1990s.See Also: Austin (girl), Austen, Austyne