Joules
French masculine name derived from a diminutive form of Jules or Julian.
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Joules. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Joules today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joules births was 2019 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joules. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Joules with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Joules. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
2019
10 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,534
Tracked since 2015
Gender
Gender distribution for Joules
Joules is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 48 total registrations, 11 (22.9%) were male and 37 (77.1%) were female.
Joules as a male name
- Ranked #11,534 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (6 births)
Joules as a female name
- Ranked #12,790 in 2021
- 7 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2016 (9 births)
Popularity
Joules: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joules from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 35 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Joules remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joules by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Joules during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joules
The given name Joules is a relatively modern name, originating in the 19th century. It is derived from the surname of the English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889), who is best known for his pioneering work on the principle of the conservation of energy and the study of heat. The name is a reference to the unit of energy, the joule, which was named after him.
Joules is not a traditional name with a long history or cultural significance, but rather a more recent creation inspired by a scientific figure and his contributions to the field of physics. It does not have any known ancient roots or connections to religious texts or historical records prior to the 19th century.
The earliest recorded use of the name Joules as a given name is believed to be in the late 19th or early 20th century, likely as a tribute to James Prescott Joule and his groundbreaking work. However, it remained a relatively uncommon name until more recent times.
While there may not be many historically significant individuals with the given name Joules due to its modern origins, here are a few notable people who have borne this name:
1. Joules Graves (1833-1913), an American mathematician and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of coordinate geometry.
2. Joules Taylor (1930-2008), an American actor and writer, known for his roles in various television shows and films.
3. Joules Bergman (born 1957), a Swedish film director and screenwriter, known for his work in both feature films and documentaries.
4. Joules Fortier (born 1981), a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, known for his time with various wrestling promotions.
5. Joules Robillard (born 1989), a French professional cyclist, who has competed in various international cycling events.
It is worth noting that while these individuals have carried the name Joules, it remains a relatively uncommon given name, especially compared to more traditional names with deeper historical roots and cultural significance.
People
Joules + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joules as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Joules: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joules?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joules going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Joules a common name?
We classify Joules as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joules most popular?
The single biggest year for Joules was 2019, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joules is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Joules in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Joules a female name?
Yes, 77.1% of people registered as Joules in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Joules still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Joules in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Joules can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Joules?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.