Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1999

Josef

Meaning A male given name, variant of Joseph Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,860 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

A male given name, variant of Joseph.

Rank 2025
#2,860
among boys · ↓585 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
44
named Josef · -30% vs 2024
How common
1 in 38,820
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1999
220 babies
All-time total
9,158
#1,273 all-time among boys
First recorded
1900
in Social Security records

Josef popularity over time

9,158 babies have been named Josef since 1900, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1999Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s 43 4 – #900
1910s 173 17 +302% #1,083
1920s 162 16 -6% #1,674
1930s 135 14 -17% #1,543
1940s 172 17 +27% #1,512
1950s 335 34 +95% #1,095
1960s 554 55 +65% #858
1970s 1,026 103 +85% #673
1980s 1,559 156 +52% #663
1990s 1,789 179 +15% #738
2000s 1,834 183 +3% #797
2010s 1,011 101 -45% #1,260
2020s (to 2025) 365 61 -40% #2,047

Where Josef is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 42 0.02 outside top 500
2027 40 0.02 outside top 500
2028 38 0.02 outside top 500
2029 37 0.02 outside top 500
2030 36 0.02 outside top 500

Where Josef is most popular

Boys named Josef per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.035 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, California, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Josef born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 54 0.125 +260%
California 26 0.028 -18%
Texas 24 0.027 -21%
Georgia 5 0.020 -43%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Josef

Josef is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,860 in 2025 with 44 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1900, 9,158 American babies have been named Josef. Its peak came in 1999, when 220 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Josef stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Josef?

The median living Josef is about 30 years old; half are between 20 and 43. An estimated 8,200 people named Josef are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Josef year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 44 #2,860
2024 63 #2,275
2023 61 #2,301
2022 59 #2,393
2021 72 #2,047
2020 66 #2,123
2019 81 #1,857
2018 84 #1,814
2017 81 #1,834
2016 92 #1,701
2015 91 #1,710
2014 113 #1,450
2013 108 #1,508
2012 95 #1,632
2011 137 #1,260
2010 129 #1,327
2009 125 #1,372
2008 158 #1,151
2007 165 #1,110
2006 191 #974
2005 218 #846
2004 185 #920
2003 188 #894
2002 195 #852
2001 211 #797
2000 198 #814
1995 168 #830
1990 166 #789
1985 172 #678
1980 151 #708
1975 107 #806
1970 93 #838
1965 66 #915
1960 53 #1,063
1955 38 #1,230
1950 18 #1,780
1945 20 #1,512
1940 14 #1,941
1935 14 #1,985
1930 14 #2,129
1925 19 #1,840
1920 17 #2,004
1915 24 #1,390
1910 10 #1,083
1905 – –
1900 6 #1,240
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Josef

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Josef Mengele Josef Mengele Nazi SS doctor at Auschwitz (1911–1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Josef Bican Josef Bican Austrian-Czech footballer (1913–2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Josef Kramer Josef Kramer German SS officer (1906–1945) Contemporary
  4. 4 Josef Terboven Josef Terboven German Nazi politician (1898–1945) 19th century
  5. 5 Josef Albers Josef Albers German-American artist (1888–1976) 19th century
  6. 6 Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg Austrian-American film director (1894–1969) 19th century
  7. 7 Josef Masopust Josef Masopust Czech footballer and manager (1931–2015) Contemporary
  8. 8 Josef Bühler Josef Bühler German Nazi official (1904–1948) Contemporary
  9. 9 Josef Blösche Josef Blösche SS officer & convicted war criminal (1912–1969) Contemporary
  10. 10 Josef Breuer Josef Breuer Austrian physician (1842–1925) 19th century
  11. 11 Josef Hoffmann Josef Hoffmann Austrian architect (1870–1956) 19th century
  12. 12 Josef Suk Josef Suk Czech composer and violinist (1874–1935) 19th century
  13. 13 Josef Hofmann Josef Hofmann Polish-American pianist (1876–1957) 19th century
  14. 14 Josef Strauss Josef Strauss Austrian composer 1827–1870 · 19th century
  15. 15 Josef Harpe Josef Harpe German general (1887–1968) 19th century
  16. 16 Josef Bürckel Josef Bürckel German Nazi politician, Gauleiter of Vienna (1895–1944) 19th century
  17. 17 Josef Mysliveček Josef Mysliveček Czech composer 1737–1781 · 18th century
  18. 18 Josef Koudelka Josef Koudelka Czech–French photographer (born 1938) Contemporary
  19. 19 Josef Rheinberger Josef Rheinberger German composer and organist (1839–1901) 19th century
  20. 20 Josef Čapek Josef Čapek Czech painter and writer (1887–1945) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Josef, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Josef?

The median living Josef is about 30 years old. Half of all living Josefs are between 20 and 43 years old.

How many people named Josef are alive today?

An estimated 8,200 people named Josef are alive in the United States, based on 9,158 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Josef mean?

A male given name, variant of Joseph.

How popular is the name Josef in 2025?

Josef ranked #2,860 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 44 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Josef?

9,158 babies have been named Josef in the United States since 1900, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Josef most popular?

Josef peaked in 1999, when 220 newborns received the name.

Is Josef a boy or girl name?

Josef is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Josef rising or falling?

Josef is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Josef become more popular?

Josef is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 36 boys named Josef in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Josef?

Well-known people named Josef include Josef Mengele (physician), Josef Bican (soccer player), Josef Kramer (politician).

Names like Josef

Names that sound and feel close to Josef: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Josef with similar names → More names starting with J →