The baby name Julius blends ancient history with a nicely modern monkey.
Thanks to Emmy Jo for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME JULIUS MEAN?
The baby name Julius brings to mind Ancient Rome.
The origins of the name Julius involve a distinguished family of Roman notables. The general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar remains the most famous, millennia after his death. His family, the gens Julia, claimed to have come to Rome way back in the 7th century BC.
The name might’ve come from the Greek iolus, meaning downy-bearded. Translate that to “peach fuzz” in 21st century terms. The name meant, roughly, young man.
Given their status, the family preferred another meaning of Julius: Jove’s child, connecting them to the chief Roman god Jupiter.
JULIUS CAESAR
Back to Caesar.
Chances are you know something of his story, if not directly from Roman history, then from Shakespeare’s re-telling of his life.
In brief, Gaius Julius Caesar was born into a rather lofty family with pretensions to a divine ancestor. Despite these advantages, his family was not particularly powerful. Caesar rose through the ranks himself, becoming a successful general. He served as one of three leaders, and then, following a civil war, as the dictator perpetuo.
Caesar ran the expanding Roman Empire from 49 to 44 BC. At that point, fearful of his growing power, senators Brutus and Cassius assassinated Caesar on the Ides of March – March 15, 44 BC.
His name remains broadly familiar, all these years later.
JULIUS NAMES
In Latin, Caesar’s name would’ve been Iulius – there’s no letter J.
But most names related to Julius are spelled with a J, including:
- The more common Julian, used in Germany and Poland, as well as English-speaking countries.
- Other forms and spellings of the name including Julio, Julien, and Julyan.
- Feminine forms Julia, Julie, Juliana.
- In medieval English, it became Jolyon.
- Elaborations like Juliet/Juliette and Juliano are also familiar in some languages.
- The Italians spell the same group of names with a Gi – Giulio, Giulia.
- Other languages spell it with a Y – Yulian, Yuli, Yuliana.
There’s also Jules, a traditional, masculine form of the name in French. It tends to be a gender neutral nickname in English.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME JULIUS?
In the United States, the baby name Julius probably reached peak popularity around the turn of the 20th century, sometime in the late 1800s. By 1900, Julius ranked #112. In the year 2000, Julius came in at a frosty #484.
That said, Julius has never left the US Top 1000.
But it’s definitely one of the less common forms – at least compared to Top 50 Julian, and girl names like Julia, Juliette, and Juliana.
As of 2024, the baby name Julius stood at #389.
It’s traditionally more common in Europe, with Germans and the Dutch.
POP CULTURE
A handful of famous men named Julius come to mind. Legendary basketball player Dr. J was born Julius Erving.
The most famous bearer of the name might be completely fictional. Paul Frank created Julius the Monkey in the 1990s. The sock monkey became an icon of Y2K culture, appearing on wallets, tee shirts, and eventually just about everything. In the 2010s, he even briefly became an animated character on a Nick Jr. series titled Julius Jr.
Going even farther back, there’s Orange Julius. Once found in every shopping mall in America, the sweet, frothy orange drink was invented by a man named Julius Freed. He opened his first location in Los Angeles in 1926. By the 1960s, they were everywhere. The brand is now owned by Dairy Queen, but you can still order the drink.
LITTLE GENTLEMAN
Overall, the baby name Julius fits right in with polished, dapper names like Sebastian and Theodore. It’s old school but sophisticated. It shares the S ending of Lucas, Elias, and Miles, another reason Julius sounds very much like a 2020s name.
It might sound a little grand, what with the references to Caesar. But then, we’re naming our boys Maximus and Augustus.
And yet, Julian is the dominant name from this category for boys. That’s likely why Julius remains a little less common, at least in American English right now.
For parents seeking a current choice that is familiar but less frequently heard, Julius could be the perfect name.
What do you think of the baby name Julius?
First published June 13, 2008, this post was revised September 3, 2025.
The only JU name that I like is Juno and no matter how interesting a history, Julius has forever been ruined by Malema for me. It’s almost like a curse word when I hear the two together. On top of that, I’ve always highly disliked Julian.In another life, maybe I would have liked Julius as I like the Roman/Grecian/Epic type histories.
Groucho Marx was born Julius Henry Marx (Oct 1890), Harpo was actually Adolph (born in Nov. 1888), Chico was Leonard (Mar. 1887), Zeppo was actually Herbert (Feb. 1901) & Gummo was Milton (Oct. 1882). IMDb is awesome for stuff like this! Because of him (Groucho/Julius), I have an abiding fondness for Lydia (but could never use it).
Groucho Marx started out life as a Julius?! How fabulous! Yup, that makes the name even cooler.
Katharine, I *love* Atticus. And my brother insists that his firstborn son will be Leonidus. The well of -us names is deep … and after all these decades of Jason, Justin, Aiden, Jordan and so on (and on and on), I’m kind of lovin’ it. Ask me in 2015, though, when Jadenus has caught on, and I might have a very different opinion.
Unfortunately, my husband’s last name starts with an “S” – sadly, no -us names for us. 🙁
Oh Katharine! I’d use Tiberius in a heartbeat, my other half is a HUGE Star Trek Geek. He wanted one of our boys to be James Tiberius. He ended up Simon Ambrose after two of he uncles/great uncles but that’s another story entirely. I so want to use Tiberius if the last one’s a boy, just for him!
Uninhibited by the cultural associations mentioned in the first paragraph I find Julius a bit of a random choice! That said, it has a rather hip Roman Emperor vibe to it, not to mention the funky -us ending which seems to be in with the ultra cool croud these days (Think: Aurelius, Atticus, Cassius, Augustus as well as the aforemetioned Phinneaus and Ignatius).
…Tiberius, Amadeus, Thelonius or Quintus anyone??!!!
I actually met a four year old boy named Jules recently. His mother was German, so I’m thinking that this name flies better in Europe than here in the US. I found it refreshing but I think I agree with you . . . Julius definitely gives off a more masculine vibe.
I adore Julius! If I hadn’t already used Josephine, I’d consider Julius. If for no other reason than it was the real name of my hero: Grouch Marx. Of course I adore almost every -us ending name I’ve ever come across. I find them so masculine and handsome., Julius is no exception, rather he stands near the top of the list for me (only Augustus stands higher). Funnily enough, Josephine has one of those paul Franks “Julius” monkeys on a tee. Maybe it’s a sign from the gods? 😉
Julius is wicked cool.