auguste

Auguste is a masculine given name of French origin, derived from the Latin Augustus, meaning venerable, majestic, or distinguished. In French, the form is widely used as a stand-alone given name and appears in compound names such as Pierre-Auguste. The name is primarily found in French-speaking regions and has cognates in other languages, notably August in English.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Auguste enjoyed particular popularity in France and other Francophone areas; its usage declined in the mid-20th century as naming trends shifted.

Notable individuals with the name include Auguste Comte (1798–1857), French philosopher and founder of positivism; Auguste Rodin (1840–1917), sculptor; Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty; Auguste Lumière (1862–1954), cinema pioneer; Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), painter often known simply as Auguste Renoir; Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), chef; and Auguste Mariette (1821–1881), archaeologist who helped establish Egyptology institutions. The name also appears in fiction, for example Auguste Dupin, a detective created by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrating its use across literary works.