Julia

Etymology

From the Roman family name Julius, possibly meaning 'youthful' or 'downy-bearded' (from 'ioulos'). The Julii were one of Rome's most ancient patrician families, claiming descent from Venus through Aeneas.

Who they were

Julia appears in Paul's greetings at the end of Romans — a chapter that names more individuals than any other in the New Testament and reveals the remarkable diversity of the early church. She is greeted alongside Philologus and others as part of 'the Lord's people who are with them.' The name Julia was extremely common in the Roman world — any freed slave of the Julian family would take the name — and her presence in the Roman church suggests the gospel had penetrated all levels of Roman society, from slaves and freedwomen to citizens. Though we know almost nothing about her, her inclusion in Paul's greetings places her among the first generation of Roman Christians, the community that would eventually transform the empire. Her name connects the Roman world to the Jewish message — a Latin name in a Greek letter about a Hebrew messiah, carried by a woman named Phoebe from a Greek port city. The early church was always more diverse than later traditions remembered.

Character qualities

• Part of the first Roman Christian community

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Julie · Giulia · Juliette · Jules

Related names