2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Justic
A surname derived from the Latin word 'justitia', meaning justice or righteousness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Justic. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justic 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Justic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justic, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justic
The surname Justic has its origins in medieval England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "justise," which means "justice" or "judge." This occupational name was likely given to someone who held a position of authority or worked within the legal system.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "Justiz" or "Justyce." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain William Justiz is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Gloucestershire. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 include a reference to a Reginald Justyz from Cambridgeshire.
The Justic name also has ties to certain place names. For example, the village of Justinleigh in Devon was once known as "Justiz-leigh," suggesting a connection to an early bearer of the Justic surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Justic name. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Justic (c.1270-1345), a prominent English judge and legal scholar during the reign of Edward III.
Another distinguished bearer of the name was John Justic (1597-1681), a Puritan minister and author who emigrated to New England in the 1630s and played a role in the establishment of Harvard College.
In the 19th century, James Justic (1812-1887) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Free Church College.
Across the Atlantic, William Justic (1836-1912) was a Civil War veteran and successful businessman from Pennsylvania, serving as the president of several railroad companies.
One of the most recent notable figures with the Justic surname was Evelyn Justic (1916-2002), a British author and playwright who wrote numerous works for stage and television.
While the surname Justic has undergone various spellings over the centuries, its connection to the concept of justice and the legal profession has remained a consistent thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justic
Among Census respondents with the surname Justic, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Justic 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 Justic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 87
- Black or African American11.4% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justic
Justic 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
#115,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
+23 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,470 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-46 bearers (-30.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 37,350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,639 | 151 | 0.05 | +23 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 8,470 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -46 bearers (-30.5%) | Down 37,350 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 Justic 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 | #115,639 | #152,989 | -32.3% |
| Count | 151 | 105 | -30.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justic bearers went from 151 to 105 (-30.5% change). The surname moved down 37,350 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,639 to #152,989.
FAQ
Justic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justic?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Justic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Justic?
Justic ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Justic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Justic.
Has Justic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justic went from 151 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 46 (-30.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,639 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Justic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justic, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Justic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (11.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Justic (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 Justic mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word 'justitia', meaning justice or righteousness. 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 Justic (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Justic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.