Jules is the French form of Julius, the Roman family name that is traditionally explained as "downy-bearded" or "youthful" and that also gives us July. The novelist Jules Verne is its most famous bearer, and in America the name is also used as a nickname for Julian and Julia. In the United States Jules ranked number 1934 for boys in 2000 and has slowly edged upward to number 1396 in 2025, its best rank to date.