boy's name
Julio
HOO-lee-oh
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 67,314
the United States
#641
2025 births
Julio means downy-bearded, and France ranks it 517th — above the United States at 641st, which is not where a Spanish form of a Roman family name would be expected to lead. Neither reading of the Roman family name is settled.
- Julio is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 1,564 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 7,604 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1888.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Julio over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 6 |
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 75 |
| 1910s | 563 |
| 1920s | 1,347 |
| 1930s | 1,116 |
| 1940s | 1,297 |
| 1950s | 2,585 |
| 1960s | 4,076 |
| 1970s | 7,142 |
| 1980s | 9,454 |
| 1990s | 13,941 |
| 2000s | 12,802 |
| 2010s | 6,848 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,940 |
What Julio means
Julio means downy-bearded, or devoted to Jove. The Roman family name has two proposed readings and neither has ever been fully established with any real confidence.
Where Julio comes from
Julio is the Spanish form of Julius, a Roman gens name read either as downy-bearded, from a word for the first growth of facial hair, or as devoted to Jove. The Julii claimed descent from Iulus, son of Aeneas and grandson of Venus, which Virgil's Aeneid exists partly to dignify. July carries the family name through Caesar, and so do the Julian calendar, the German Kaiser and the Russian Tsar.
Julio in use
Julio peaked in the United States in 1990, when 1,564 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in three of the seven markets we track — 517th in France on 85 births, 641st in the United States on 436 and 1997th in Canada — across 67,314 lifetime births. France ranking it above America is unexpected for a Spanish name.
How popular is Julio?
In 2025, Julio was given to 436 babies in the United States, ranking #641 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Julio is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Julio is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Jùlio | Jùlio is a rare spelling of Julio, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Julio
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Julio also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Julio over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Julio 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 Julio
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Julio — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Julio
What does the name Julio mean?
Downy-bearded, or devoted to Jove. Neither reading is fully established.
Is July related?
Yes — the month, the Julian calendar, Kaiser and Tsar all descend from Julius Caesar's name.
Did the Julii claim a goddess?
Venus, through Iulus son of Aeneas — the lineage Virgil's Aeneid was written to dignify.
How popular is Julio?
517th in France and 641st in the United States.
Is Julio a girl's or a boy's name?
Julio is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Julio?
Julio has 3 syllables.
Is Julio a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Julio currently ranks #517 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.