Agreed completely! It has a down to earth vibe that Julia just doesn’t (as much as I like Julia). And I feel like it being a middle name would get around the whole “but it’s a boys name!”-cayden Hike more, worry less.
I agree - any girl can easily bear the name Julian and not seem masculine at all. She can also use short forms like Julie or Jules, and, she can also lengthen it for informal use; then again so may a guy.