2000
#4,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,649
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Justus
A Latin-derived surname meaning "just" or "righteous," likely referring to a character trait or virtue of an ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,270 Americans carry the last name Justus. That puts it at #5,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justus 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
7.3K
1 in 47,146
Census rank
#5,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,340 bearers of the surname Justus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justus
The surname Justus has its roots in the Latin language and is derived from the word "justus," which means "just" or "righteous." This surname originated in ancient Rome and was likely bestowed upon individuals who were known for their sense of justice, fairness, and moral uprightness.
The earliest recorded instances of the Justus surname can be traced back to the medieval period in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions where Latin was widely used as a scholarly language. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by scholars, clerics, and individuals associated with religious or academic institutions.
One of the earliest documented references to the Justus surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In this historical document, there are several entries mentioning individuals with variations of the Justus name, such as "Justus" and "Justinus."
During the Middle Ages, the Justus surname gained prominence in various regions across Europe. Notable individuals bearing this name include Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), a renowned Flemish philosopher and humanist scholar, and Justus Jonas (1493-1555), a German Protestant reformer and close associate of Martin Luther.
In Italy, the Justus surname has a long and distinguished history. One prominent figure was Justus Sustermans (1597-1681), a Flemish painter who spent much of his career in the service of the Medici family in Florence. His portraits of European nobility and royalty are highly regarded works of art.
Across the Atlantic, the Justus surname also found its way to the New World during the colonial era. One notable example is John Justus (1720-1790), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Pennsylvania.
In the realm of literature, the Justus surname is associated with the American poet and author Justus Bier (1810-1881), who wrote extensively about the experiences of German immigrants in the United States.
Throughout its long history, the Justus surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, religious figures, artists, and military personnel. While the specific origins of each individual bearing this surname may differ, the underlying meaning of "just" and "righteous" has remained a consistent thread connecting these individuals across time and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justus
Among Census respondents with the surname Justus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Justus 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 Justus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 5,676
- Two or more races4.3% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 189
- Black or African American1.9% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justus
Justus 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
#5,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,821
+172 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 287 places
2020
#5,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,340
-481 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,843 | 6,649 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,130 | 6,821 | 2.31 | +172 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 287 places |
| 2020 | #5,303 | 6,340 | 2.12 | -481 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 173 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 Justus 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 | #5,130 | #5,303 | -3.4% |
| Count | 6,821 | 6,340 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.12 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justus bearers went from 6,821 to 6,340 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,130 to #5,303.
FAQ
Justus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justus?
Name Census estimates that about 7,270 living Americans carry the surname Justus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,146 residents.
How common is Justus?
Justus ranks #5,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 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 6,340 people with the surname Justus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,270), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 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 Justus.
Has Justus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justus went from 6,821 recorded bearers to 6,340. That is a decrease of 481 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,130 to #5,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Justus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Justus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (5,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Justus (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 Justus mean?
A Latin-derived surname meaning "just" or "righteous," likely referring to a character trait or virtue of an ancestor. 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 Justus (2.12 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 Justus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.