Julian
Meaning of Julian
Julian derives from the Latin Julianus, a family name of the Roman Julian clan, meaning of Julius or descended from Julius. The meaning of Julius itself is uncertain: dictionaries commonly suggest youthful or downy-bearded, but no derivation is settled. The name was in English use from the Middle Ages. It is pronounced JOO-lee-uhn, the same in American and British English.
Its best-known ancient bearer is Julian the Apostate, Roman emperor from 361 to 363, a Greek-writing philosopher who rejected Christianity and promoted Neoplatonic Hellenism. Julian of Norwich, the medieval English anchoress, is remembered for the Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving English writings by a woman.
In the United States, Julian ranked in the 200s during the 1880s and climbed steeply at the end of the twentieth century, standing 122nd in 1991 with 2,690 births and 87th in 2000 with 4,590. It has ranked no lower than 47th since 2013. Births reached 8,455 in 2017, fell to 7,097 in 2023, then rose to 7,603 in 2025, when the name placed 25th, its highest rank on record.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as joo-lee-uhn (/dʒuˈliən/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Julian
| Julian, Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363, was a Greek writing philosopher who rejected Christianity, promoted Neoplatonic Hellenism, and persecuted Christians, earning the Christian epithet Julian the Apostate. |
| Julian Edelman is a former NFL wide receiver who spent 12 seasons with the New England Patriots, transitioning from a college quarterback to a key receiver and return specialist before retiring in 2020. |
| Julian of Norwich was a medieval English anchoress whose Revelations of Divine Love are the earliest surviving English writings by a woman and the only surviving works by an anchoress. |
| Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American musician best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of The Strokes, and he has also released a 2009 solo album and three albums with his experimental band the Voidz. |
| Julian Lennon is an English musician, photographer, author, and philanthropist, son of John Lennon, and the inspiration for three Beatles songs. |
| Julian Castro is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from San Antonio who served as mayor from 2009 to 2014 and as US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017, becoming the youngest member of the Obama cabinet. |
| Julian Fellowes is an English actor, author, producer, director, and Conservative peer who won an Academy Award and two Emmys and earned nominations for four BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, two Oliviers, and a Tony. |
| Julian Shakespeare Carr was an American industrialist and philanthropist, a white supremacist, and the namesake of Carrboro, North Carolina. |
| Julian Sands was an English actor famed for A Room with a View and varied film and TV roles including The Killing Fields, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 24, and Smallville. |
| Julian Lloyd Webber is a British cellist, conductor and broadcaster who was principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and founded the In Harmony music education programme. |
| Julian Schnabel is an American painter famed for his plate paintings and an acclaimed independent filmmaker who directed Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, earning Cannes and Golden Globe Best Director honors and multiple Academy Award nominations. |
| Julian Marc Jeanvier is a central defender for Gulf United in the UAE First Division League, born in France and representing Guinea internationally. |
| Julian Francis Abele was a pioneering African American architect and chief designer for Horace Trumbauer, credited with over 400 buildings including Widener Library at Harvard, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Central Library of Philadelphia. |
| Julian McMahon was an Australian American actor, son of former Prime Minister Sir William McMahon, best known for Charmed, Nip Tuck, playing Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four films, and FBI Most Wanted, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Nip Tuck. |
