boy's name
Justin
JUS-tin
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 862,401
the United States
#233
2025 births
Justin is a boy's name from the Latin for just or righteous. It ranks 233rd in the United States, the highest current position of any name in this group of mid-century giants, and it peaked in 1988 rather than the 1950s.
- Justin is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1988, when 35,296 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,193 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Justin 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 | 55 |
| 1890s | 117 |
| 1900s | 139 |
| 1910s | 938 |
| 1920s | 1,297 |
| 1930s | 819 |
| 1940s | 1,216 |
| 1950s | 2,295 |
| 1960s | 6,744 |
| 1970s | 87,132 |
| 1980s | 291,884 |
| 1990s | 220,879 |
| 2000s | 123,277 |
| 2010s | 45,676 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,805 |
What Justin means
Justin means just, upright or righteous. The Latin is a diminutive built on the word for justice, so the sense is something like little just one or belonging to justice.
Where Justin comes from
Justin comes from the Latin Justinus, a diminutive of Justus, meaning just or righteous, from ius, law or right — the root of justice and jurisdiction. Justin Martyr, a second-century philosopher who argued that Greek thought pointed toward Christianity, gave it early Christian standing, and two Byzantine emperors carried it. It stayed uncommon in English until the twentieth century and rose steeply in the 1970s and 80s, which is why its curve looks nothing like the other names of its volume — it belongs to a later generation entirely and its peak is a full thirty years after theirs.
Justin in use
Justin peaked in the United States in 1988, when 35,296 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It ranks 233rd in the United States on 1,512 births — the highest current position of any name in this group — alongside 350th in France, 420th in Ireland, 742nd in England and Wales and 843rd in Scotland, across 862,401 lifetime births in six of the seven markets.
How popular is Justin?
In 2025, Justin was given to 1,512 babies in the United States, ranking #233 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Justin 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.
Names that peaked alongside Justin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Justin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Justin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Justin 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 Justin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Justin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Justin
What does the name Justin mean?
Just, upright or righteous — a Latin diminutive of Justus, from ius, law.
When was Justin most popular?
It peaked in 1988 with 35,296 American births, roughly thirty years later than most names of comparable size.
Is Justin a saint's name?
Yes — Justin Martyr, a second-century philosopher who argued Greek thought pointed toward Christianity.
How popular is Justin?
233rd in the United States, the highest current rank of any name in this cohort.
Is Justin a girl's or a boy's name?
Justin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Justin?
Justin has 2 syllables.
Is Justin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Justin currently ranks #205 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.