Junius
Of Latin origin meaning "born in June" or "youthful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,645 living Americans carry the first name Junius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Junius today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Junius births was 1920 (151 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Junius. 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.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 208,361 Americans
Peak year
1920
151 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,158
Tracked since 1880
Census
Junius in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,353 people with the first name Junius, which placed it at #10,012 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,012
National first-name rank
People counted
1.4K
1,353 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
58.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Junius
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Junius is Black at 58.0%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Junius described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Junius at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.0% · 785
- White31.6% · 428
- Two or more races4.3% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 15
Popularity
Junius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Junius from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,278 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Junius 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 Junius during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Junius' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Junius, while California, Pennsylvania, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 218 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Junius
The given name Junius has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "iunius," which means "of June" or "born in June." This name was initially used by the Junii, a prominent patrician family in Rome during the Roman Republic and Empire periods.
In Roman mythology, Junius was associated with the goddess Juno, the protector of marriage and childbirth. The month of June was named after this goddess, and consequently, the name Junius became linked to those born during this month.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Junius can be found in the Roman historian Livy's work, where he mentions Lucius Junius Brutus, a Roman consul and one of the founders of the Roman Republic in the 6th century BC.
During the Roman Empire, several notable figures bore the name Junius, including Quintus Junius Rusticus, a philosopher and friend of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, who lived in the 1st century AD.
In later centuries, the name Junius was used across Europe, particularly in areas influenced by Roman culture. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Franciscus Junius, a Dutch theologian and scholar who lived from 1545 to 1602.
Another notable figure was Francis Junius, also known as François du Jon, a French Protestant scholar and theologian who lived from 1545 to 1602. He is known for his contributions to the study of biblical languages and his defense of Calvinist theology.
In the 17th century, Adriaan Junius, a Dutch painter and art theorist, gained recognition for his work on the history of painting and his contributions to the development of Dutch Golden Age painting.
During the 18th century, Junius became a popular name in England, particularly among the aristocracy. One notable figure was Francis Junius, an English poet and politician who lived from 1589 to 1677.
In the 19th century, Junius Brutus Booth, an English actor and father of the famous actor Edwin Booth, was born in 1796. He was known for his performances in Shakespearean plays and his portrayal of tragic characters.
Overall, the name Junius has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in ancient Roman culture and mythology. It has been borne by scholars, artists, and influential figures throughout the ages, reflecting its enduring appeal and significance.
People
Junius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Junius 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
Junius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Junius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,645 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Junius 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 208,361 US residents.
Is Junius a common name?
We classify Junius as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,362 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Junius most popular?
The single biggest year for Junius was 1920, when 151 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Junius is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Junius in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,353 people with the name Junius, or 0.45 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,012 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Junius in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Junius?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Junius leans strongly male. 1,340 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 17 female bearers (1.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Junius?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Junius is Black at 58.0%. The next largest groups are White (31.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Junius most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Junius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.0% (785 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Junius in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Junius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Junius in the SSA data are male. 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 Junius still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Junius 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 Junius 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.
How many people have Junius as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.