2000
#10,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Justin
From the Latin name Justinus, meaning "just" or "fair," and likely referring to someone with those qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,164 Americans carry the last name Justin. That puts it at #11,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justin 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 Justin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,329
Census rank
#11,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,759 bearers of the surname Justin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justin, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justin
The surname Justin has its origins in ancient Rome, deriving from the Latin name Justinus, which itself is a derivative of the name Justus, meaning "just" or "upright." The name was commonly used in the Roman Empire and later spread throughout Europe during the expansion of the Roman influence.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Justin can be traced back to medieval France, where it was often spelled as "Justin" or "Joustin." In the 11th century, the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, indicating the presence of individuals bearing the surname in the Norman conquest of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Justin was Justin of Siponto, an Italian philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 11th century and is known for his work on dialectics and logic. Another notable figure was Justin the Martyr, a Christian apologist and saint who lived in the 2nd century AD and is regarded as one of the earliest Christian philosophers.
In the 13th century, the name Justin was associated with the town of Joustain (now known as Justin) in the Languedoc region of southern France. This suggests that the surname may have originated as a locational name, referring to individuals who hailed from this particular town or its surrounding areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Justin. One example is the 16th-century French philosopher and theologian Jacques Justin (1505-1580), who played a significant role in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Another notable bearer was the English poet and translator Justin Huntly McCarthy (1859-1936), known for his works on Irish history and literature.
In the realm of literature, the surname Justin has been immortalized in the works of renowned authors. One such example is the character Justin Martyr in the novel "Quo Vadis" by Henryk Sienkiewicz, which depicts the life of early Christians in ancient Rome.
As the surname Justin spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Justine, Justyn, and Justine, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justin
Among Census respondents with the surname Justin, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Justin 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 Justin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.1% · 1,519
- Black or African American24.6% · 679
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.9% · 245
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 158
- Two or more races2.9% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justin
Justin 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
#10,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,109
+317 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 169 places
2020
#11,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,759
-350 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 639 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,538 | 2,792 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,369 | 3,109 | 1.05 | +317 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 169 places |
| 2020 | #11,008 | 2,759 | 0.92 | -350 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 639 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 Justin 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 | #10,369 | #11,008 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,109 | 2,759 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.92 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justin bearers went from 3,109 to 2,759 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 639 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,369 to #11,008.
FAQ
Justin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,164 living Americans carry the surname Justin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,329 residents.
How common is Justin?
Justin ranks #11,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,759 people with the surname Justin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Justin.
Has Justin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justin went from 3,109 recorded bearers to 2,759. That is a decrease of 350 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,369 to #11,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Justin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justin, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.9%). 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 Justin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.1% (1,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.1%), Black (24.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.9%). 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 Justin (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 Justin mean?
From the Latin name Justinus, meaning "just" or "fair," and likely referring to someone with those qualities. 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 Justin (0.92 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 Justin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Justin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.