Juvenal
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "young" or "youthful."
Name Census estimates that about 1,174 living Americans carry the first name Juvenal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Juvenal today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Juvenal births was 1991 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Juvenal. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 291,954 Americans
Peak year
1991
44 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,335
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Juvenal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Juvenal from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 349 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Juvenal 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 Juvenal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Juvenals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Juvenal, while Illinois, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 205 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Juvenal
The name Juvenal originates from Latin and has its roots in the ancient Roman culture. It is derived from the Latin word "juvenalis," which means "youthful" or "young." This name was particularly popular during the Roman Empire and was often associated with the concept of renewal and vitality.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the name Juvenal was Decimus Junius Juvenalis, a Roman poet who lived between 60 and 130 AD. He is best known for his satirical works that criticized the moral decadence of Roman society. His writings, such as the Satires, have become influential literary works and have been studied extensively throughout history.
Another prominent figure with the name Juvenal was Saint Juvenal of Narni, an Italian Catholic prelate who lived in the 4th century AD. He served as the Bishop of Narni and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. His feast day is celebrated on May 3rd.
During the Middle Ages, the name Juvenal was relatively uncommon but still appeared in various historical records. One notable bearer of the name was Juvenal of Béziers, a French prelate who lived in the 12th century. He served as the Bishop of Poitiers and was known for his involvement in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars.
In the Renaissance period, the name Juvenal gained popularity among scholars and intellectuals who were inspired by the works of the Roman poet Juvenal. One such individual was Juvenal de Carlencas, a French humanist and philosopher who lived in the 16th century.
Another noteworthy figure with the name Juvenal was Juvenal Urbino, an Italian painter and sculptor who lived during the 16th and 17th centuries. He is best known for his works in the Baroque style, including his sculptures and paintings for churches and chapels in Rome.
People
Juvenal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Juvenal 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
Juvenal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Juvenal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,174 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Juvenal 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 291,954 US residents.
Is Juvenal a common name?
We classify Juvenal as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,258 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Juvenal most popular?
The single biggest year for Juvenal was 1991, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Juvenal is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Juvenal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Juvenal 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.
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.