Justin
Meaning
just, righteous
Goes by Justy
The story
Justin comes from the Latin Iustinus, derived from Justus, just or fair. Early Christian saints carried it, and the second-century writer Justin Martyr made the name familiar in church history. It remained available in Europe for centuries but became an American phenomenon much later. The US curve is low before midcentury, rises in the 1960s and 1970s, surges in the 1980s, reaches its highest point in the 1990s, and then declines through the 2000s to 2020s. Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber became enormous stars after the peak. Their timing makes them later bearers, not explanations for the original rise. The name now sounds distinctly late twentieth century in America, yet its Latin root is older and steadier than the fashion. Justin pairs a plainspoken sound with an unusually direct moral meaning.
Justin around the world
One shared root links 4 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Latin iustus "just", through the Roman names Justus and Justinus
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Justin peaked in the 1990s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
250 people · the #21,706 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 13
Among people named Justin living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 27 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Justin
Most people given the name Justin in the United States were born between 1980 and 1999. The Justin you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Justin deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Justin truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Justin fits with your family’s names and surname.
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