Of Latin and Greek origin.
Derives from the Roman name Iulianus and is associated with the name Julius.
Julian literally means “belonging to Julius” in Latin.
It is also used as a female name, deriving from the feminine form of Julian which is Julianne.
Julian the Apostate, was a renown Roman emperor, philosopher, and author.
Another early bearer of the name is Roman Catholic saint Julian the Hospitaller. He is considered the patron of travelers, along with Saint Raphael and Saint Christopher.
A wide use of the name started in the Middle Ages.
Feminine forms of the name are Julianne, Jullian, Juliana, Gill, Gillian, Giuliana.
Alternative forms of Julian are Jules, Jools, Julyan, Julen, Giuliano, Yulian.
Julian is a popular name in Switzerland, Netherlands, and Austria.
Famous bearers are Julian Assange, Julian Sands, Julian Ovenden, Julian Morris, Julian McMahon, Julian Lennon, Julian Edelman, Julian de Guzman, Julian Marley, Julian Glover.
Additional information concerning the Ancient Roman naming system:
According to the Roman naming rules, the basic elements of Roman names were three. A “praenomen”, a “nomen”, and a “cognomen”.
A “praenomen” was the first name, indicating the personal name.
A “nomen” was the second name, indicating the ‘gens’ to which the bearer of the name belonged to. Gens, meaning the group of families sharing a common “nomen”.
“Nomen” would stand as the group of loosely connected families claiming common ancestors. “Nomen” were always patrilinear, meaning from the father.
A “cognomen” was the third name and was something like the surname. Cognomina (plural of cognomen) were usually inherited. They were rarely given to the bearer by general consensus by the prominent members of the community.
There were several types of “cognomina”, such as geographical, adoptive, occupational, etc. In very rare cases the “cognomina” could be metronymic, meaning from the mother’s “nomen”.