2000
#24,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Very Rare Last name
Julia
A Latin surname derived from the ancient Roman family name Julius.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 968 Americans carry the last name Julia. That puts it at #29,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 354,085 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Julia surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
968
1 in 354,085
Census rank
#29,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
844
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 844 bearers of the surname Julia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Julia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Julia
The surname Julia is of Latin origin and can be traced back to ancient Rome. It is derived from the Roman family name Julius, which was the name of one of the most powerful and influential families in ancient Roman history. The Julii family produced several notable figures, including Julius Caesar, the famous Roman general and dictator.
The name Julia was originally a feminine form of Julius, given to female members of the Julian family. Over time, it became a common name among Romans and was later adopted as a surname by those who traced their ancestry back to the Julian clan or were connected to it in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Julia can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Several individuals with the surname Julia are listed in this document, suggesting that the name had already spread beyond its Roman origins by the 11th century.
In medieval times, the surname Julia was particularly prevalent in Italy, where it was associated with noble families and influential individuals. One notable example is Giulia Gonzaga (1513-1566), a prominent Italian noblewoman, writer, and patron of the arts, who was highly regarded for her intellect and cultural contributions.
The surname Julia also has a long history in Spain, where it was likely introduced during the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. One famous bearer of the name was Julián Romero (c. 1516-1598), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico and later became a prominent landowner and leader in the region.
In France, the surname Julia can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals bearing the name in various regions of the country. One notable figure was Juliette Julia (1843-1919), a French actress and playwright who was renowned for her performances in the works of celebrated playwrights such as Molière and Racine.
Over the centuries, the surname Julia has spread across Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including literature, art, and politics. Examples include the Italian poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), who had maternal ancestors with the surname Julia, and the American actress and philanthropist Julia Louis-Dreyfus (born 1961), whose paternal grandfather bore the surname Julia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Julia
Among Census respondents with the surname Julia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Julia bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Julia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino45.5% · 384
- White41.8% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 58
- Black or African American5.3% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Julia
Julia appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#21,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,185
+223 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 2,474 places
2020
#29,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 844
-341 bearers (-28.8%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 7,849 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,386 | 962 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,912 | 1,185 | 0.40 | +223 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 2,474 places |
| 2020 | #29,761 | 844 | 0.28 | -341 bearers (-28.8%) | Down 7,849 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Julia surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,912 | #29,761 | -35.8% |
| Count | 1,185 | 844 | -28.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.28 | -29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Julia bearers went from 1,185 to 844 (-28.8% change). The surname moved down 7,849 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,912 to #29,761.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Julia
FAQ
Julia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Julia?
Name Census estimates that about 968 living Americans carry the surname Julia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 354,085 residents.
How common is Julia?
Julia ranks #29,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 844 people with the surname Julia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Julia.
Has Julia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Julia went from 1,185 recorded bearers to 844. That is a decrease of 341 (-28.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,912 to #29,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Julia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Julia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (41.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Julia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.5% (384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Julia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (45.5%), White (41.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Julia (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Julia mean?
A Latin surname derived from the ancient Roman family name Julius. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Julia (0.28 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Julia?
See how many Americans have the surname Julia on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.