Given name & surname
Julian
Julian is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “the child of Jove; one who is vouthful Julien, Julira.uscant eni Jaun., ilano blyon,.”
Original GreekΙουλιανός
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “the child of Jove; one who is vouthful Julien, Julira.uscant eni Jaun., ilano blyon,.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Julian developed from Julius. In Cebuano usage, Julian developed from Julián.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Julian has an alternative spelling in Jolyon. The history of Jolyon gives this family its wider story. John Galsworthy used Jolyon for a character in The Forsyte Saga. The novels and their television adaptation helped renew interest in this medieval spelling.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Julian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 268,291
- 264,985 boys · 3,306 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 8,477 babies
- 2025
- 7,626
- #25 for boys · #5,477 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7,603 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 25 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 10.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8,455 in 2017. It also appeared in 23 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (1,680). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 193,591 as a first name in 2020; 14,572 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Julian’s family of names
In English usage, Julian has a diminutive in Jules. Julian developed from Julius. Julian has a related form in Gillian.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Julian has relatives in 23 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
35 related names in 23 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 39
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΙουλιανόςGreek
- Juliannafeminine form
- Juliusroot
- Julioequivalent
- Juliannefeminine form · French
- Giulianocognate · Italian
- Yulianequivalent
- JulianoSpanish, Portuguese
Show 31 moreShow fewer
- Giulioequivalent
- Julianefeminine form · French
- Giulianequivalent
- JulenBasque
- Jewettpatronymic from · English
- XiaoGalician
- Julijanequivalent
- Juljanequivalent
- Juliuszequivalent
- Юліанequivalent
- Júlioequivalent
- Ἰουλιανόςequivalent
- ܝܘܠܝܘܣequivalent
- יוליequivalent
- Juliansen“son of” surname · Norwegian Bokmål
- ЮлианRussian
- Jewsonderivative · English
- Juliaanequivalent
- JuliãoPortuguese
- JúliaOccitan
- Юлиянrsk
- XiánGalician
- ⲓⲟⲩⲗⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥCoptic
- JuluanBreton
- JuliàCatalan
- JúlianFaroese
- Juiãoroa-opt
- ジュリアンJapanese
- ЮльянBelarusian
- IulianRomanian
- Juiàcognate
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Julian
- Julian AssangeAustralian editor, publisher, and activist (born 1971)
- Julian SchwingerAmerican theoretical physicist (1918–1994)
- Julian DraxlerGerman association football playerborn 1993
- Julian BarnesEnglish writer (born 1946)
- Julian NagelsmannGerman association football managerborn 1987
- Julian HuxleyBritish evolutionary biologist, philosopher, author (1887–1975)
- Julian TuwimPolish poet (1894–1953)
- Julian BrandtGerman association football player (born 1996)
- Julián GilArgentine actorborn 1970
Characters named Julian: Julian Bashir (the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Calendar Man (comic book character), Julian Sark (the television series Alias).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Julian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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