Julian
Julian is a boys' name of Latin origin meaning “youthful; downy-bearded.” It ranked #33 in the United States in 2025. From the Latin Iulianus, a derivative of Julius.
how do you pronounce Julian?
JOO-lee-an
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Julian mean?
The name Julian means “youthful; downy-bearded.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
From the Latin Iulianus, a derivative of Julius. Julian the Apostate was a 4th-century Roman emperor, and Saint Julian of Norwich was a 14th-century mystic author. The name has been consistently popular across Western cultures.
where does the name Julian come from?
From the Latin Julianus, meaning belonging to Julius, and Julius itself is a Roman family name of contested origin — possibly from Iulus, the son of Aeneas, which is how the Julii claimed descent from Venus.
the history of Julian
Julian the Apostate, emperor from 361, attempted to restore paganism and lost, which fixed his epithet permanently. A very different bearer is Julian of Norwich, the fourteenth-century anchoress whose Revelations of Divine Love is the earliest surviving English book written by a woman. The Julian calendar carries the family name too.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #33 |
| 2023 | #34 |
| 2022 | #35 |
| 2021 | #36 |
| 2020 | #37 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Julian?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Julian?
- Julian Lennon (musician)
- Julian Assange (publisher)
- Julian of Norwich (mystic)
what names are similar to Julian?
what names go well with Julian?
Sibling names that share Julian's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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