Julian
Julian was given to 7,603 boys in 2025, #25 among boys’ names; 268,291 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 240,000 Americans named Julian and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (90% of everyone recorded); the median is 16 years old and half are between 8 and 26.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Julian by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Julian mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Julian is “a male given name from Latin Iulianus, from Iulius.”
Also “a female given name from Latin, of medieval English usage, variant of Gillian.”
Ultimately from Latin Iūliānus.
/ˈd͡ʒuː.li.ən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Julian?
#25 among boys’ names, 2025
Julian rose from #45 in 2015 to #25 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 4.2 to 4.5 per 1,000.
8,477 babies in 2017, the peak
Julian peaked in 2017, when 8,477 babies were given it (8,455 boys, #37 among boys’ names). The 7,626 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 90% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7,603 | #25 | 4.5 |
| 2024 | 7,390 | #30 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | 7,097 | #33 | 4.1 |
| 2022 | 7,305 | #35 | 4.2 |
| 2021 | 7,693 | #33 | 4.4 |
| 2020 | 7,552 | #34 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | 8,443 | #31 | 4.7 |
| 2018 | 8,368 | #36 | 4.6 |
| 2017 | 8,455 | #37 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 8,388 | #39 | 4.4 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8,064 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 2014 | 7,686 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 2013 | 7,521 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 2012 | 7,389 | #53 | 3.9 |
| 2011 | 7,627 | #50 | 4.0 |
| 2010 | 7,589 | #53 | 4.0 |
| 2009 | 7,388 | #62 | 3.7 |
| 2008 | 7,469 | #61 | 3.7 |
| 2007 | 6,781 | #66 | 3.3 |
| 2006 | 6,797 | #65 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 6,116 | #74 | 3.1 |
| 2004 | 5,673 | #74 | 2.9 |
| 2003 | 5,410 | #77 | 2.7 |
| 2002 | 5,223 | #78 | 2.7 |
| 2001 | 4,944 | #82 | 2.5 |
| 2000 | 4,590 | #87 | 2.3 |
| 1999 | 3,218 | #111 | 1.7 |
| 1998 | 3,053 | #124 | 1.6 |
| 1997 | 2,911 | #131 | 1.5 |
| 1996 | 2,857 | #129 | 1.5 |
| 1995 | 2,703 | #132 | 1.4 |
| 1994 | 2,505 | #140 | 1.3 |
| 1993 | 2,489 | #135 | 1.3 |
| 1992 | 2,548 | #134 | 1.3 |
| 1991 | 2,690 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1990 | 2,700 | #123 | 1.3 |
| 1989 | 2,210 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1988 | 1,673 | #167 | 0.87 |
| 1987 | 1,492 | #183 | 0.80 |
| 1986 | 1,546 | #172 | 0.84 |
| 1985 | 1,529 | #174 | 0.83 |
| 1984 | 938 | #237 | 0.52 |
| 1983 | 932 | #241 | 0.52 |
| 1982 | 991 | #235 | 0.55 |
| 1981 | 869 | #252 | 0.49 |
| 1980 | 753 | #280 | 0.42 |
| 1979 | 664 | #300 | 0.39 |
| 1978 | 643 | #293 | 0.39 |
| 1977 | 745 | #266 | 0.45 |
| 1976 | 735 | #264 | 0.47 |
| 1975 | 744 | #262 | 0.48 |
| 1974 | 650 | #288 | 0.41 |
| 1973 | 716 | #264 | 0.46 |
| 1972 | 624 | #296 | 0.38 |
| 1971 | 645 | #303 | 0.36 |
| 1970 | 634 | #309 | 0.34 |
| 1969 | 525 | #344 | 0.29 |
| 1968 | 472 | #355 | 0.27 |
| 1967 | 452 | #351 | 0.26 |
| 1966 | 452 | #354 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 461 | #353 | 0.25 |
| 1964 | 507 | #349 | 0.25 |
| 1963 | 471 | #360 | 0.23 |
| 1962 | 478 | #365 | 0.23 |
| 1961 | 525 | #344 | 0.25 |
| 1960 | 492 | #352 | 0.23 |
| 1959 | 462 | #365 | 0.22 |
| 1958 | 460 | #358 | 0.22 |
| 1957 | 454 | #357 | 0.21 |
| 1956 | 449 | #347 | 0.21 |
| 1955 | 470 | #338 | 0.23 |
| 1954 | 494 | #328 | 0.24 |
| 1953 | 520 | #314 | 0.26 |
| 1952 | 521 | #312 | 0.27 |
| 1951 | 492 | #315 | 0.26 |
| 1950 | 505 | #302 | 0.28 |
| 1949 | 535 | #292 | 0.30 |
| 1948 | 533 | #299 | 0.30 |
| 1947 | 552 | #295 | 0.30 |
| 1946 | 523 | #280 | 0.32 |
| 1945 | 462 | #280 | 0.34 |
| 1944 | 457 | #278 | 0.34 |
| 1943 | 554 | #253 | 0.39 |
| 1942 | 530 | #249 | 0.38 |
| 1941 | 501 | #248 | 0.41 |
| 1940 | 510 | #238 | 0.44 |
| 1939 | 458 | #252 | 0.41 |
| 1938 | 425 | #266 | 0.38 |
| 1937 | 449 | #253 | 0.42 |
| 1936 | 449 | #248 | 0.43 |
| 1935 | 497 | #235 | 0.48 |
| 1934 | 474 | #241 | 0.46 |
| 1933 | 455 | #244 | 0.46 |
| 1932 | 559 | #217 | 0.54 |
| 1931 | 502 | #235 | 0.48 |
| 1930 | 592 | #219 | 0.54 |
| 1929 | 592 | #214 | 0.55 |
| 1928 | 633 | #212 | 0.57 |
| 1927 | 621 | #214 | 0.55 |
| 1926 | 703 | #199 | 0.63 |
| 1925 | 716 | #195 | 0.64 |
| 1924 | 728 | #193 | 0.64 |
| 1923 | 673 | #201 | 0.61 |
| 1922 | 773 | #181 | 0.71 |
| 1921 | 765 | #182 | 0.69 |
| 1920 | 693 | #195 | 0.65 |
| 1919 | 686 | #186 | 0.70 |
| 1918 | 724 | #182 | 0.71 |
| 1917 | 652 | #186 | 0.70 |
| 1916 | 625 | #187 | 0.70 |
| 1915 | 579 | #191 | 0.68 |
| 1914 | 449 | #189 | 0.69 |
| 1913 | 360 | #187 | 0.70 |
| 1912 | 294 | #197 | 0.68 |
| 1911 | 152 | #199 | 0.67 |
| 1910 | 129 | #201 | 0.66 |
| 1909 | 102 | #210 | 0.62 |
| 1908 | 88 | #221 | 0.57 |
| 1907 | 92 | #209 | 0.63 |
| 1906 | 102 | #176 | 0.77 |
| 1905 | 78 | #216 | 0.59 |
| 1904 | 65 | #236 | 0.51 |
| 1903 | 59 | #237 | 0.49 |
| 1902 | 62 | #229 | 0.51 |
| 1901 | 66 | #210 | 0.62 |
| 1900 | 79 | #226 | 0.53 |
| 1899 | 45 | #250 | 0.42 |
| 1898 | 69 | #209 | 0.56 |
| 1897 | 53 | #240 | 0.47 |
| 1896 | 57 | #241 | 0.48 |
| 1895 | 55 | #240 | 0.47 |
| 1894 | 53 | #238 | 0.46 |
| 1893 | 68 | #206 | 0.61 |
| 1892 | 52 | #248 | 0.43 |
| 1891 | 43 | #244 | 0.42 |
| 1890 | 63 | #209 | 0.57 |
| 1889 | 49 | #231 | 0.44 |
| 1888 | 47 | #257 | 0.39 |
| 1887 | 40 | #251 | 0.39 |
| 1886 | 50 | #240 | 0.45 |
| 1885 | 49 | #236 | 0.45 |
| 1884 | 48 | #249 | 0.42 |
| 1883 | 48 | #227 | 0.46 |
| 1882 | 41 | #269 | 0.36 |
| 1881 | 36 | #264 | 0.36 |
| 1880 | 32 | #296 | 0.29 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Julian a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 268,291 Americans recorded as Julian, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 23 girls and 7,603 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Julian: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Julian, and how old are they?
240,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 90% of the 268,291 Americans ever recorded as Julian. The median Julian alive today is 16 years old; half are between 8 and 26.
The 2020 Census counted 193,591 people named Julian (3,234 women and girls, 190,357 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 201,367 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,750 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 6,340 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 9,040 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 30,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 91,900 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 101,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Julian born?
The states with the most babies named Julian are California, Texas and Florida, with 43% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,680 | #6 | 1.8× |
| Texas | 1,115 | #10 | 1.5× |
| Florida | 437 | #36 | 1.1× |
| New York | 398 | #31 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 314 | #16 | 1.1× |
| Arizona | 224 | #14 | 1.5× |
| Massachusetts | 211 | #15 | 0.8× |
| Washington | 205 | #18 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 200 | #56 | 0.7× |
| Georgia | 199 | #42 | 0.9× |
Where Julian is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Julian is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Julian with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 303,674 babies since 1880, Julian is the most given (88% of them). In 2025 it was given to 7,626 of their 8,109 babies (94%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Julian
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Julian and names like it
- Compare Julian and GillianBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sJulian peaked in 2017.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Julian since 1910.
- The top names of 2017The year the most babies were named Julian.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Julian alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with JMost given first.