June is a female given name, but it is also used as a male given name in English-speaking countries. It comes from the name of the month, which is derived from Juno, the name of a Roman goddess. It is also a short form of the names Juniper, Junia, Junius and Junior.
June was a very popular girls name and somewhat popular boys name in the early to mid 20th century. As a girls name it reached a peak in 1925 as the 39th most popular girls name, but then gradually declined until it dropped off the top 1000 list of names in 1986. As a boys name, June reached a peak 1922 as 697th most popular boys, but then also declined and left the top 1000 list in 1939.
Junius was a popular boys name in the early 19th century, reaching a peak in 1908 as the 391st most popular boys name and leaving the 1000 list in 1950. Variant name Junious reached a peak in 1911 as the 744th most popular name and left the top 1000 list in 1923.
Junior remains a popular boys name, but reached a peak in 1925 as 117th most popular boys name.
Juniper has historically been used as both a boys and girls name. In the early part of the 20th century it was often seen as a boys name, likely due to Saint Juniper, but currently the name is more popular as a girls name. Juniper has never been on the top 1000 list, but is an increasingly popular name likely due to the popularity of a wide assortment of well known fictional works, including the cartoon series "The Life and Times of Juniper Lee", the movie "Benny and Joon" (where the Joon character was short for Juniper), and the novel "Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary".
Well known persons named June include:
June Allyson, (1917–2006) an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950sJune Anderson, an American coloratura sopranoJune Atkinson, the North Carolina Superintendent of Public InstructionJune Blair, (born 1933) an American model and actress best known for being Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in January 1957June Bland, a British actress best known for her guest appearances in two Doctor Who serialsJune Brigman, an American comic book artist and illustratorJune Bronhill, (1929–2005) an internationally acclaimed soprano opera singerJune Brown, a British actress and director best known as Dot Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEndersJune Callwood, a Canadian journalist and social activistJune Caprice, (1895–1936) an American silent film actressJune Carter Cash, (1929–2003) an American singer, songwriter, actress, member of the Carter Family, and the second wife of legendary singer Johnny CashJune Chadwick, an English actress best known for her role in the scien television series V: The SeriesJune Christy, (1925–1990) an American Jazz Singer popular in the 1950sJune Clark, a Professor of Community Nursing, at the University of Wales, SwanseaJune Cochran, (1942–2004) an American model and beauty queenJune Collyer, (1906–1968) an American actressJune Croft (born 1963), a British freestyle swimmerJune Downey (1875–1932), American psychologistJune Duprez, (1918–1984) a British film actressJune Ferguson, (1928–2004), an Australian athlete who won the silver medal in the relay 4x100 meter at the 1948 Olympic Games in LondonJune Fletcher, a writer for The Wall Street JournalJune Foray, an American voice actress who has worked for most of the studios which produced animated films since the 1940sJune Gibbons, (born 1963) one of two identical twins whose story is a curious case involving psychology and languageJune Haimoff, an English environmentalist who settled in Dalyan in southwestern Turkey after her retirementJune Harding, a child and teen actress who appeared in several 1960s TV showsJune Haver, an American film actress (1926–2005)June Havoc, (1912–2010) an American actress, dancer, writer, and theater directorJune Hutton, (1920–1973) an American popular singerJune James, American football playerJune Jones, an American football player and coach, currently with Southern Methodist UniversityJune Jordan, (July 9, 1936 – June 14, 2002) an African-American bisexual political activist, writer, poet, and teacherJune Lang, (1915–2005) an American film actressJune Lloyd, Baroness Lloyd of Highbury, (1928–2006) a British paediatrician and, in retirement, a cross bench member of the House of LordsJune Lockhart, (born 1925) an American actress best known as the mothers on Lassie and Lost in SpaceJune MacCloy, (1909–2005) an American actress in the 1930s and 1940sJune Marlowe, (1903–1984) an American actress best known as Miss Crabtree in six Our Gang short subjectsJune Maston, (born 1928) a retired Australian sprinterJune Mathis, (1892–1927) a screenwriter and Hollywood executive in the 1920sJune McCarroll, (1867–1954) a nurse (later a physician) who is credited with the idea of painting lines on highways to separate lanesJune Miller, (1902–1979) the second wife of Henry MillerJune Millington, in 1969 founded Fanny, the first all girl rock band signed to a major record labelJune Page, a British actress best known as Sally in the 1970s drama SurvivorsJune Palmer, aka June Power, (1940–2004) a Harrison Marks model in the 1960sJune Peppas, a professional baseball player for the AAGPBL from 1948 to 1954June Pointer, (1953–2006) an American vocalist best known for her work with The Pointer SistersJune Rowlands, the 60th mayor of Toronto, Ontario, and the first woman to hold that officeJune Salter, (1932–2001) an Australian actressJune Sarpong, a British television presenterJune C. Smith (1875-1947), an American jurist, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme CourtJune Tabor, (born 1947) an English folk singerJune Taylor, (1918–2004) an American choreographerJune Tripp, sometimes known just as June, was a British actressJune Tyson, (1936–1992) a jazz singer who performed with Sun Ra regularlyJune Vincent, (born 1920) a leading lady in low-budget movies of the 1940sJune Walker, (1900–1966) an American stage and film actress best known for her roles in The Farmer Takes a Wife and Twelfth NightJune Westbury, a politician in Manitoba, CanadaJune Whitfield, an English actress
