The story I have heard is that the name is derived from Augustin. St. Augustin was sent by pope Gregory the Great to England in 597 as a missionary. He converted the Saxon king who had a Christian wife. Augustin then became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Members of the order of Augustinian monks, also known as the black friars, and their descendants adopted the name Austin. I have also heard that Scottish Austin's have a different origin. I believe their was a Norse word, Oosten, or something like that, which meant a wooded place, from which the name derived. I think Hal Steiner wrote an article for the AFAOA newsletter 7 or 8 years ago that covered all of this. Scot Austin -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 1999 5:12 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Austin Surname Dear Austin Cousins: Would one of you mind send me the story of the origins of the Austin name? Thanks, Chet ==== AUSTIN Mailing List ==== AOAGS has published all Austins in the Federal Census of 1850 for 16 of the 32 states. Three volunteers at the 1998 National Austin Convention still leaves 13 states available. Interested in helping? Please contact Austins of America Genealogical Society, e-mail: [email protected]