2000
#2,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.42
Uncommon Last name
Julian
Derived from the Roman name "Iulianus," meaning "descended from Julus," the founder of the Roman Julian clan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,710 Americans carry the last name Julian. That puts it at #2,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Julian 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Julian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,512
Census rank
#2,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,572 bearers of the surname Julian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Julian, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Black (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Julian
The surname Julian has its origins in ancient Rome, where it was derived from the Roman family name Iulianus, meaning "of Iulus" or "descendant of Iulus." Iulus was a legendary figure in Roman mythology, considered the son of Aeneas and the founder of the Julii clan, from which the famous Julius Caesar belonged.
The Julian family was one of the most prominent and influential patrician families in ancient Rome, and the name Julian became widely used throughout the Roman Empire. As the Roman legions expanded their territories, the name spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world.
One of the earliest recorded appearances of the Julian surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname Julian, indicating that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.
Over the centuries, the Julian surname has appeared in various historical records and documents across Europe. In France, for instance, the name can be traced back to the 12th century, where it was spelled as Julien or Jullien. In Italy, the surname Julian has a long and distinguished history, with notable figures such as the Renaissance artist and architect Giorgio Giulio Clovio (c. 1498-1578).
Other notable individuals with the Julian surname include Sir Hubert Julian (1879-1977), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Governor of Fiji from 1924 to 1929, and Isaac Julian (1801-1877), a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana.
In Spain, the Julian surname is closely associated with the city of Burgos, where it is believed to have originated. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Saint Julian of Cuenca (c. 1127-1208), a Spanish bishop and patron saint of hospitality and travelers.
The Julian surname has also been found in various forms and spellings throughout history, such as Julien, Jullien, Giuliani, and Giuliano, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences on the name as it spread across different regions and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Julian
Among Census respondents with the surname Julian, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Black (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Julian 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 Julian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 10,189
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 1,810
- Black or African American7.3% · 1,064
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 825
- Two or more races3.4% · 491
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Julian
Julian 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
#2,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,520
+895 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.26
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#2,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,572
-948 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 4.88
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,277 | 14,625 | 5.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,349 | 15,520 | 5.26 | +895 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #2,427 | 14,572 | 4.88 | -948 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 78 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 Julian 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 | #2,349 | #2,427 | -3.3% |
| Count | 15,520 | 14,572 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.26 | 4.88 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Julian bearers went from 15,520 to 14,572 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,349 to #2,427.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Julian
FAQ
Julian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Julian?
Name Census estimates that about 16,710 living Americans carry the surname Julian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,512 residents.
How common is Julian?
Julian ranks #2,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,572 people with the surname Julian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Julian.
Has Julian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Julian went from 15,520 recorded bearers to 14,572. That is a decrease of 948 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,349 to #2,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Julian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Julian, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Black (7.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Julian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (10,189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Julian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Hispanic (12.4%), Black (7.3%). 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 Julian (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 Julian mean?
Derived from the Roman name "Iulianus," meaning "descended from Julus," the founder of the Roman Julian clan. 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 Julian (4.88 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 are called Julian?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Julian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.