Named after the place Saint-Augustin and its church, dedicated to Augustine of Hippo.
Augustine (354–430), born at Thagaste in Roman Africa, converted to Christianity in 386 after meeting Ambrose of Milan and became bishop of Hippo. The square takes its name from the church, built by Victor Baltard between 1860 and 1871 where the boulevards Haussmann and Malesherbes meet. Before it, a provisional wooden chapel dedicated to Saint Augustine stood in the rue de Laborde.