Meaning & Origin
A diminutive of the male given name Augustus.
Gus is a boy's and girl's baby name of Latin origin, a short form of Augustus and Angus, from Latin augustus, meaning 'majestic, venerable, consecrated' — the title borne by Roman emperors beginning with Caesar Augustus.
Gus has remarkable range: it's simultaneously one of the most old-fashioned and one of the freshest names you can give a boy today. From Gus Pike in Road to Avonlea to Gus McCrae in Lonesome Dove, it carries beloved fictional heritage. Short, warm, and genuinely likable — the nickname that became its own name.