Find out how popular the last name Julian is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Julian.

Julian, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Julian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Julian in America

Julian is the 2349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Julian surname appeared 15,520 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Julian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Julian to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Julian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Julian.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Julian was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Julian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Julian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Julian, please contact us.

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