Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Justus

Justus is the Latin spelling of Justice, a vocabulary word which is really more of a concept than something with a definitive meaning. People have varying ideas of justice but for the most part justice is a collective theory revolving around how people are treated and how decisions are made in the interest of fairness and good reason. Aristotle said “The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom.” It has to do with doing what is right within the codes of ethics, laws, morals, religion, reason and/or equity. Justice was borrowed from the Latin “justus” meaning “just, fair” and was generally used to identify a judge or an officer of justice whose responsibility it was to determine fair outcomes of situations in Olde England. Justus/Justice is also a “virtue name” and one of the four cardinal virtues (the others being prudence, temperance, and fortitude). Justus was borne by several early saints which served to cement the name’s popularity throughout the Middle Ages. As the great philosopher Plato once said: “Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.” Justice is critical to civilized human behavior and is really the point between selflessness and selfishness. Justice has become a gender-neutral given name, but the Latin spelling of Justus is exclusively masculine (and has also been in circulation for over 2,000 years!).

All About the Baby Name – Justus

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME JUSTUS

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME JUSTUS

Justus appeared on the American Top 1000 list of boy names in the late 1800s but pretty much disappeared from the charts as the 20th century got underway. It wouldn’t be until 1994 that Justus would resurface. In the past 20 or so years Justus has averaged around 750th out of 1000 in terms of popular usage. In other words, American parents far prefer Justice or Justin over Justus. Still, there’s something quite ancient and dignified about the Latin spelling.

Quick Facts

ON JUSTUS

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Latin

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

811

PRONUNCIATION:

JUS-tis

SIMPLE MEANING:

Just, fair

Characteristics

OF JUSTUS

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Justus

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME JUSTUS

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Justus

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME JUSTUS

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Justus


Popular Songs

ON JUSTUS

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Justus


Famous People

NAMED JUSTUS

Justus (7th century Archbishop of Canterbury)
Justus of Beauvais (3rd century saint)
Saint Justus (with Pastor, 4th century saint)
Justus of Trieste (3rd century saint)
Justus van Gent (15th century painter)
Justus Hecker (notable German physician and medical historian)
Justus von Liebig (German chemist)
Justus D. Barnes (actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED JUSTUS

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Justus

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME JUSTUS

Saint Justus has a notable place in England’s history. Born in Italy, Justus was sent by Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) to assist St. Augustine in the Christianization of England. Justus went to the kingdom of Kent where the pagan Anglo-Saxons were ruled by King Æthelberht. Æthelberht had married the Christian daughter of the Frankish king and so was amenable to the Christian missionaries. In 604, Justus was appointed the first Bishop of Rochester. Following the death of Æthelberht Justus was forced to flee to Gaul (mainland Europe) due to rising pagan hostilities against the interloping missionaries. Able to return the following year, Justus went on to become the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. Saint Justus played a large role in the conversion of Anglo-Saxons into Roman Christians. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing in retrospect, we’ll leave that opinion up to you.

St. Justus of Beauvais is an example of what historians refer to as one of the “Cephalophore” saints (i.e., “head-carriers”). He was born in France and a Christian during the Roman Empire’s pagan days. During the persecutions of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian, Justus, along with his father, traveled to another village in order to ransom a relative. As a boy of about ten, Justus was reported to the Roman authorities (he had been accused of being a Christian magician). Soldiers immediately confronted him and when the child freely admitted he was indeed a Christian, he was beheaded on the spot. Legend had it that Justus quietly picked up his head and stood upright. Either the Roman soldiers took flight in fear or else they immediately converted. Justus apparently told his father to take the head back to his mother in order that she may kiss it. Yes, it all sounds rather creepy, but such legends spread like wildfire in the precarious Dark Ages of early medieval Europe and cults grew up around these saints. In fact, naming children after venerated saints became a common practice in Europe during the Middle Ages and you can thank many saints for having single-handedly played a role in the survival of their names into modern times.