Justus
Masculine · “just”
Justus is given to both — 9,140 boys and 818 girls since 1880. See Justus as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Two men were put forward to replace Judas among the twelve. They cast lots. Matthias won, and the other man — Joseph called Barsabbas, surnamed Justus — is never mentioned again. He is the only person in the New Testament whose entire recorded role is losing a draw.
How old is the name Justus?
Justus was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Justus alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 8,300 people named Justus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Justus most popular?
Justus peaked in 1880, reaching #571 nationally. Today it ranks #1942, 1,371 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From ius to Justus
The story of Justus
Ius is one of the most productive Latin roots in English legal vocabulary and almost none of it is obvious. A judge is a ius-dicens, one who says the law. A jury swears. Jurisdiction is where the saying of law reaches. Perjury is swearing falsely. And injury is in-iuria, not-right — so the ordinary word for a broken arm is, underneath, a legal term about a wrong done. Justus itself was a name Roman citizens carried and early Christians adopted, and it turns up in Acts as the extra name of men working in Greek-speaking cities who needed one. It went into English with the Reformation and has been quietly used ever since.
Meaning
just, righteous
Latin iustus, upright or lawful, from ius, law or right. It was a Roman cognomen and then an ordinary early Christian name, and it appears three times in the New Testament as a second name for men who also had Jewish ones.
How the name formed
- ius
- iustus
- Justus
Related forms: Justus · Joost · Justus · Justo
Pronouncing Justus
JUS-tus
Two syllables, stress on the first. German and Finnish say YOOS-tus, with a y at the front and a longer first vowel. Spanish Justo has a throat sound at the beginning.
Nicknames for Justus
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 2007300 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #571reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −44.0%79 in 2025, from 141
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Justus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Justus in German — same name
- Joost in Dutch — same name
- Justus in Finnish — same name
- Justo in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Justuss among us
people named Justus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 21,621 born in 2025 was named Justus
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Justus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Justus is headed
Justus is easing off slowly — about 25% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Justus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Justus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Latin meaning that anyone can check in an English dictionary.
- The same spelling in German, Dutch and Finnish.
- Two syllables with nothing ambiguous in the spelling.
- It is one letter from the ordinary English word just, and people will notice.
- Justice and Justin are both commoner and will be substituted in speech.
- The very few girls given this spelling will be read as boys on every form.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Justus
Masculine · #1942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Justuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,300 people named Justus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Justus in 2025?
- Justus ranks #1942 among US boy names in 2025, with 79 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Justus?
- About 1 in every 21,621 US boys born in 2025 was named Justus — 79 in all.
- Will my child share the name Justus with classmates?
- Justus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Justus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Whit#1942 · Bowden#1942 · Jasir#1942 · Journey#1942 · Maverik#1942 · Shaun#1942 · Shulem#1942 · Jahkari#1942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Justus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Justus and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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