2000
#7,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Julien
A French surname derived from the Latin name Julius, meaning "youthful" or "devoted to Jupiter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,662 Americans carry the last name Julien. That puts it at #5,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Julien 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 Julien with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,449
Census rank
#5,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,810 bearers of the surname Julien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Julien, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Julien
The surname Julien originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is a French form of the ancient Roman name Julius, derived from the Latin word "iunior" meaning "younger" or "junior". The name was prominent among the aristocratic families of medieval France.
In the 11th century, the name appears in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that bearers of the name had already established themselves in England following the Norman conquest.
The earliest recorded example of the Julien surname is found in the rolls of the Norman Exchequer in 1180, where a Ralf Julien is mentioned. Another early record is from 1195, which mentions a Guilliam Julien in Normandy.
The name Julien is associated with several notable historical figures. One of the earliest was Julien de Fontenelle (c. 1050-1127), a Norman nobleman and crusader who participated in the First Crusade and became the Count of Galilee.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Pierre Julien (1431-1501), a French philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Paris and authored several works on ethics and metaphysics.
In the 16th century, Julien Le Paulmier (1520-1588) was a renowned French botanist and herbalist who published a significant work on medicinal plants titled "De Plantis" in 1588.
During the French Revolution, Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-1751) was a controversial philosopher and physician known for his materialist and atheistic views, as well as his work "L'Homme Machine" (Man a Machine).
In the 19th century, Marc-Antoine Julien (1775-1848) was a prominent French painter and engraver who gained recognition for his historical and mythological paintings, including "The Entry of Henry IV into Paris" and "The Judgement of Paris".
The surname Julien has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Julien-en-Born in the Landes region of France, and the Château de Julien near Toulon, which dates back to the 12th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Julien
Among Census respondents with the surname Julien, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Julien 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 Julien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.9% · 3,246
- White32.9% · 1,913
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 320
- Two or more races4.5% · 264
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Julien
Julien 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
#6,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,535
+1,136 bearers (+25.8%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Up 844 places
2020
#5,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,810
+275 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,024 | 4,399 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,180 | 5,535 | 1.88 | +1,136 bearers (+25.8%) | Up 844 places |
| 2020 | #5,742 | 5,810 | 1.94 | +275 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 438 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 Julien 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 | #6,180 | #5,742 | 7.1% |
| Count | 5,535 | 5,810 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.94 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Julien bearers went from 5,535 to 5,810 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 438 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,180 to #5,742.
FAQ
Julien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Julien?
Name Census estimates that about 6,662 living Americans carry the surname Julien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,449 residents.
How common is Julien?
Julien ranks #5,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,810 people with the surname Julien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Julien.
Has Julien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Julien went from 5,535 recorded bearers to 5,810. That is an increase of 275 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,180 to #5,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Julien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Julien, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Julien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.9% (3,246 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Julien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.9%), White (32.9%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Julien (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 Julien mean?
A French surname derived from the Latin name Julius, meaning "youthful" or "devoted to Jupiter." 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 Julien (1.94 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 Julien?
You can see how many people are called Julien on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.