…because I’ve never met one. Justin seems like a name that I’ve only seen kids have. What’s the deal? Is it a name that has only recently become popular? Why do I never see older folks with that name?
The first older Justin that comes to mind: Justin “I Garontee” Wilson, a famous Cajun chef, died at the age of 87 a few years ago.
Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/5850/revolution.html
“Gregg, John. List of 6 months men raised agreeable to resolve of June 5, 1780,
returned as received of Maj. Joseph Hosmer, Superintendent for Middlesex Co.,
by Justin Ely, Commissioner;
also, descriptive list of men raised to reinforce Continental Army for the term of 6 months,
agreeable to resolve of June 5, 1780,
returned as received of Justin Ely, Commissioner, by Brig. Gen. John Glover,
at Springfield, July 20, 1780; age, 25 yrs.; stature, 5 ft. 7 in.; complexion, light;
engaged for town of Groton; marched to camp July 20, 1780,
under command of Capt. Benjamin Warren.”
Justin is a family name in my family. I’ve had two relatives, one whose first name was Justin, who died in his 80s. My grandfather, whose middle name was Justin, died at the age of 75.
Robin
Justin Dart, Jr., father of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Have you seen the Baby Name Voyager?
http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html
It’s not just you–it looks like the name “Justin” skyrocketed in popularity in the early 60’s.
My son is a Justin. 1976 vintage.
I remember seeing a Justin Wilson on PBS 15-20 years ago (?). His specialty was Cajun cooking and at that time he looked over 40 years.
In 1964, in the U.S., Justin was the 334th most popular boys name and 493 boys were so named. These babies and any before them are +40
I agree with the OP, and I’ve always considered Justin “leetle pinch of salt” (adds half a shaker of salt) Wilson to be an exception to this rule,
BUT
Isn’t there a popular Sword-and-Sorcery medieval fantasy with a main character named Justin? I can’t remember if it’s a book or a movie (or perhaps a cartoon) but I swear it’s back there in the back of my mind somewhere.
My former classmate, Justin, is now in his 50’s.
From the SSA link above, here are the rankings for “Justin” the past 50 years. Starting in 1967 there was a noticeable uptick in popularity that continued for almost 20 years before leveling off. It’s dropped some points since then, but it’s still pretty damn popular. Now, a subsequent question might be “What started the upward trend?” (sorta like the “Madison”/Splash connection).
2004 30
2003 26
2002 22
2001 22
2000 19
1999 20
1998 20
1997 20
1996 20
1995 18
1994 20
1993 20
1992 18
1991 14
1990 9
1989 8
1988 7
1987 9
1986 14
1985 15
1984 13
1983 12
1982 12
1981 12
1980 13
1979 22
1978 28
1977 30
1976 33
1975 37
1974 43
1973 51
1972 60
1971 103
1970 138
1969 167
1968 210
1967 292
1966 336
1965 355
1964 354
1963 348
1962 348
1961 360
1960 419
1959 429
1958 448
1957 441
1956 455
1955 469
Justin Hayward?
The time frame fits exactly with that hypothesis. However, was Justin Hayward that well known? As in, how many people could name the members of the Moody Blues?
Justin Morgan movie maybe? I can still remember seeing that when I was a kiddo. But then again I have always been a big lover of horses.
I thought of that when I mentioned Hayward above. The Moody Blues were a very popular band in the late sixties, and had a smaller core of fans who were quite intensely devoted to them. Hayward was possibly the most well-known of the group. I doubt that many babies were named for Hayward, though - their more casual listeners probably didn’t pick up on their individual names, and they took pains to make it clear that none of them “fronted” the group.
It seems like a lot of non-Biblical “J” names got popular in the 70’s. “Jeremy” and “Jason” follow a pattern identical to “Justin”, and “Jordan” got a huge boost in the 80’s. The question remains…why??
(“Jethro”, on the other hand, hasn’t been in the top 1000 since 1913…)