The municipality includes the communities of Grande-Cascapédia and Saint-Jules, both located along the Cascapédia River.

[1] Kigicapigiak had been a Mi'kmaq summer coastal community prior to European settlement.

In 1860, the local parish was established that 3 years later counted some 1500 inhabitants, and in 1883, its post office opened.

[6] Another theory on the etymology is that it was named for the Mi'kmaq word kěskebeâk which means "wide paddle.

It was named after Pope Julius I, and also called Saint-Jules-de-Maria (1922-1950) or Saint-Jules-de-Cascapédia to distinguish it from Saint-Jules in the Beauce region.