boy's name
Jules
ZHOOL
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 192,321
France
#6
2025 births
Jules is a boy's name, the French form of the Roman family name Julius, traditionally explained as "youthful." It ranks sixth in France. In English-speaking countries the same spelling is used mainly as a girls' nickname, which makes it read quite differently either side of the Channel.
- Jules is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2015, when 5,155 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 194 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jules over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 26,905 |
| 1910s | 17,900 |
| 1920s | 14,580 |
| 1930s | 6,805 |
| 1940s | 2,730 |
| 1950s | 1,515 |
| 1960s | 825 |
| 1970s | 395 |
| 1980s | 1,320 |
| 1990s | 8,630 |
| 2000s | 31,325 |
| 2010s | 43,565 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 19,535 |
What Jules means
Jules means youthful, or downy-bearded, in the traditional reading of the Roman Julius. That gloss comes from the Latin iulus, the soft down on a young face, though the family itself claimed descent from Iulus, the son of Aeneas, which is the more flattering story.
Where Jules comes from
Jules is the French descendant of Julius, the name of a Roman gens whose most famous member was Julius Caesar. The Julii traced themselves to Iulus, also called Ascanius, the son of Aeneas and therefore a grandson of Venus, a claim that served the family's political ambitions rather than its philology. The competing derivation from iulus, downy or youthful, is the one reference works usually give. In France the name has been continuously used and belongs to Jules Verne and Jules Massenet; in English it survives mostly as a short form of Julia or Julie, which is why an English reader often takes it for a girls' name and a French reader never does.
Jules in use
Jules ranks sixth in France with about 3,040 births in 2025, and its gender reading depends entirely on where you are. Our data records it at 1,395 in the United States and beyond a thousand in England and Wales, where it functions largely as a nickname rather than a registered first name. That gap is one of the widest we hold for a name of this standing in its home country.
How popular is Jules?
In 2025, Jules was given to 3,040 babies in France, ranking #6 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jules is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jules
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jules also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jules over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jules in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Jules
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jules — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jules
What does the name Jules mean?
Traditionally "youthful," from the Latin iulus, the down on a young face. It is the French form of Julius.
Is Jules a boy's or a girl's name?
In France it is a boys' name and ranks sixth. In English-speaking countries it is more often a girls' nickname, from Julia or Julie.
How do you pronounce Jules in French?
ZHOOL, one syllable, with the soft French j and a silent s.
Is Jules related to Julius Caesar?
Yes. Jules is the French form of Julius, the Roman family name Caesar bore.
How popular is the name Jules?
In 2025, Jules was given to 3,040 babies in France, ranking #6 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
How many syllables are in Jules?
Jules has 1 syllable.
When was Jules most popular?
Jules peaked in 2015, when 5,155 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Jules a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jules currently ranks #6 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.