Given name & surname
Justus
“just”·“fair”
Justus is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “just” and “fair”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original GreekΙουστος
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “just” and “fair”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
Justus is a variant of Justice. An origin associated with Justice is English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Latin iustus (“just”), built from Latin iūs + -tus.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Justus appears in Colossians 4:11.
From biblical name research
Justus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,958
- 9,140 boys · 818 girls
- Most popular year
- 2002
- 336 babies
- 2025
- 86
- #1,952 for boys · #12,501 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 91% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 79 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,952 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 37.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 300 in 2007. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,412 as a first name in 2020; 6,340 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.
Justus’s family of names
In German usage, Justus has a short form in Just. Justus shares a linguistic root with Joost. Justus has a related form in Justice.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Justus has relatives in 15 languages.
8 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Justus
- Justus von LiebigGerman chemist (1803-1873)
- Justus LipsiusFlemish philologist, philosopher and legal scholar (1547-1606)
- Justus7th-century missionary, Archbishop of Canterbury, and saint600
- Justus van GentFlemish painter (1430–1480)
- Justus DahindenSwiss architect (1925-2020)
- Justus JonasGerman Lutheran reformer1493–1555
- Justus SustermansFlemish painter (1597-1681)
- Justus MöserGerman jurist and social theorist (1720-1794)
- Justus von DohnányiGerman film and television actor, screen writer and film directorborn 1960
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Justus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jesus
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Julien
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98% boys · 2% girls
Jayson
Jayson is a masculine given name. It is used in English and Cebuano.
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Jonas
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Jalen
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99% boys · 1% girls
Josue
“God . is salvation” · “God is salvation”
>99% boys
Javier
“the owner of a new house”
>99% boys
Jairo
“God enlightens”
>99% boys