Hello Everyone, Here is an excerpt from "The Austin Family", American Genealogical Research Institute, Heritage Press, Inc., Washington D.C. 1975 "Evolved from the name of Saint Augustine, the family name Austin did not come into use until the time of the Crusades....the most active surname formation period occurred after the Norman conquest and coincided with the Crusades, from 1096 through 1270....the family name Austin underwent several modifications before reaching its present form...the order of Saint Augustine was founded in 1256 and devoted to educational, missionary, and parish work. A medieval family might have taken the name "Austin" because it admired Saint Augustine or because it enjoyed close ties with an Ausgustinian monastery. Because of the evolutionary nature of name development, it is virtually impossible to pinpoint the exact date of the formation of any new name. Austin, of course, is no exception. However, some of the ancient records of the English nation, including the famous Hundred Rolls, give evidence of early forms of the name and show usage as early of 1273. The names listed below are excerpts from these records. Astin de Bennington--County Lincolnshire--Hundred Rolls, 1273 Augustinus Mewhird--Yorkshire Poll Tax, 1379 Willelmus Austyn-man--Yorkshire Poll Tax, 1379 John Austen--Register of University of Oxford, 1538 The surname Austin occurs most frequently in Kent. It is also found in Oxfordshire, Sussex, Straffordshire, Hartfordshire, and Norfolk..." Hope this helps. Alinda M. Miller