2000
#1,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,956
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.48
Uncommon Last name
Justice
An occupational surname referring to a judge, magistrate, or other judicial official.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,675 Americans carry the last name Justice. That puts it at #1,110 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justice 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 Justice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,608
Census rank
#1,110
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,110 bearers of the surname Justice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1110th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justice, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justice
The surname Justice originated in England and France during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "justise," which means "justice" or "judge." The name was likely given to someone who worked in the legal system or held a position of authority, such as a judge or a magistrate.
In England, the name Justice can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Roger le Justise. This document was a survey of landholdings and tenants in England, conducted during the reign of King Edward I.
The name Justice also appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book records several individuals with the surname Justicia or Justiciarius, which are variants of the name Justice.
During the Middle Ages, the name Justice was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire in England. It was also found in various parts of France, where it was often spelled as "Justis" or "Juste."
One notable individual with the surname Justice was Sir William Justice (c. 1539-1614), an English judge and legal scholar who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Roger Justice (c. 1600-1670), an English politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed as a judge during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, there was John Justice (1701-1763), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford.
Another notable individual was Sir Philip Justice (1786-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Justice was John Justice (c. 1670-1725), an English Quaker who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century and became a prominent landowner and businessman in the colony.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justice
Among Census respondents with the surname Justice, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Justice 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 Justice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 25,683
- Black or African American9.0% · 2,806
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,402
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 839
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 164
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justice
Justice 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
#1,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,480
+1,524 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 11.01
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#1,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,110
-1,370 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 10.41
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,032 | 30,956 | 11.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,077 | 32,480 | 11.01 | +1,524 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #1,110 | 31,110 | 10.41 | -1,370 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 33 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 Justice 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 | #1,077 | #1,110 | -3.1% |
| Count | 32,480 | 31,110 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 11.01 | 10.41 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justice bearers went from 32,480 to 31,110 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,077 to #1,110.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Justice
FAQ
Justice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justice?
Name Census estimates that about 35,675 living Americans carry the surname Justice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,608 residents.
How common is Justice?
Justice ranks #1,110 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,110 people with the surname Justice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Justice.
Has Justice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justice went from 32,480 recorded bearers to 31,110. That is a decrease of 1,370 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,077 to #1,110.
What does the Census say about the background of Justice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justice, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Justice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (25,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Justice (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 Justice mean?
An occupational surname referring to a judge, magistrate, or other judicial official. 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 Justice (10.41 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 common is the surname Justice?
See how many people are called Justice on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.