2000
#8,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Julius
Derived from the Roman family name Iulius, possibly meaning "descendant of Jupiter" or "youthful, downy-bearded."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,028 Americans carry the last name Julius. That puts it at #8,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Julius 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 Julius with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,093
Census rank
#8,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,513 bearers of the surname Julius in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Julius, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Julius
The surname Julius is believed to have originated from the Roman family name Iulius, which was derived from the ancient Roman praenomen (personal name) Iulus or Iulius. This name was particularly associated with the gens Iulia, one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome.
The Iulii claimed descent from Iulus, the son of Aeneas, the legendary Trojan hero and founder of the Roman nation. As such, the name Julius carried a significant cultural and historical weight in Roman society, symbolizing the noble lineage and ancestry of the bearer.
One of the earliest and most famous bearers of the name Julius was Gaius Julius Caesar, the renowned Roman general, statesman, and author, who lived from 100 BC to 44 BC. Caesar's conquest of Gaul, his military campaigns, and his eventual rise to power as the dictator of Rome made him one of the most influential figures in ancient history.
The name Julius also appeared in various ancient manuscripts and records, including the writings of Roman historians such as Suetonius and Plutarch, who documented the lives of prominent Romans bearing the name.
In the medieval period, the surname Julius was adopted by families across Europe, often as a direct reference to their claimed Roman ancestry or as a means of associating themselves with the prestige and legacy of ancient Rome.
One notable bearer of the surname Julius was Philipp Julius, Duke of Stettin-Pomerania, who lived from 1584 to 1625. He was a member of the House of Griffins, a cadet branch of the Pomeranian ducal family, and ruled over parts of Pomerania (now in modern-day Germany and Poland).
Another historical figure with the surname Julius was Arminius Julius, a German historian and writer who lived from 1667 to 1735. He is known for his works on the history of the city of Brunswick, where he served as a city clerk.
In the realm of literature, the surname Julius was borne by Virgil's friend and contemporary, the Roman poet Horace, whose full name was Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 BC - 8 BC). Although not directly related to the Iulii family, Horace's works often referenced and praised the accomplishments of Augustus, the first Roman emperor and a member of the Iulii gens.
Finally, the name Julius was also associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout history. For instance, the town of Iuliacum (modern-day Jülich) in Germany was named after a Roman settlement founded during the reign of Julius Caesar.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Julius
Among Census respondents with the surname Julius, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Julius 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 Julius surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 2,311
- Black or African American21.5% · 757
- Two or more races4.3% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Julius
Julius 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
#9,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,628
+225 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#8,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,513
-115 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,853 | 3,403 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,013 | 3,628 | 1.23 | +225 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #8,936 | 3,513 | 1.18 | -115 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 77 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 Julius 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 | #9,013 | #8,936 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,628 | 3,513 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.18 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Julius bearers went from 3,628 to 3,513 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,013 to #8,936.
FAQ
Julius surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Julius?
Name Census estimates that about 4,028 living Americans carry the surname Julius. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,093 residents.
How common is Julius?
Julius ranks #8,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,513 people with the surname Julius. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,028), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Julius.
Has Julius become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Julius went from 3,628 recorded bearers to 3,513. That is a decrease of 115 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,013 to #8,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Julius?
Among Census respondents with the surname Julius, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Julius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (2,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Julius appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.8%), Black (21.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Julius (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 Julius mean?
Derived from the Roman family name Iulius, possibly meaning "descendant of Jupiter" or "youthful, downy-bearded." 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 Julius (1.18 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 surname Julius?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.