girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Josephine

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #53 Trend ↑ Rising 26%

From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph.

Rank 2025
#53
among girls · ↑3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
4,126
named Josephine · +10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 390
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
8,709 babies
All-time total
332,458
#118 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Josephine popularity over time

332,458 babies have been named Josephine since 1880, 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 7,732 17 7,749 775 – #45
1890s 12,463 37 12,500 1,250 +61% #44
1900s 18,785 75 18,860 1,886 +51% #28
1910s 61,355 158 61,513 6,151 +226% #21
1920s 69,223 221 69,444 6,944 +13% #27
1930s 36,051 267 36,318 3,632 -48% #49
1940s 24,324 100 24,424 2,442 -33% #89
1950s 16,412 50 16,462 1,646 -33% #146
1960s 9,317 41 9,358 936 -43% #258
1970s 5,154 6 5,160 516 -45% #363
1980s 4,732 14 4,746 475 -8% #430
1990s 7,059 – 7,059 706 +49% #312
2000s 13,924 – 13,924 1,392 +97% #201
2010s 23,960 – 23,960 2,396 +72% #90
2020s (to 2025) 20,976 5 20,981 3,497 +46% #53

Where Josephine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 4,292 2.67 #49
2027 4,439 2.76 #49
2028 4,567 2.84 #48
2029 4,679 2.91 #45
2030 4,777 2.97 #44

Where Josephine is most popular

Girls named Josephine per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.21 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, District of Columbia, and Maine.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Josephine 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 55 11.3 +414%
District of Columbia 95 8.01 +263%
Maine 115 7.43 +237%
Alaska 61 7.09 +221%
New Hampshire 121 6.55 +197%
Montana 83 6.13 +178%
Rhode Island 71 5.67 +157%
Wyoming 24 5.63 +155%
North Dakota 73 5.55 +151%
Delaware 62 5.47 +147%
Minnesota 514 4.76 +116%
Massachusetts 566 4.68 +112%
Kansas 264 4.58 +107%
Missouri 548 4.55 +106%
Nebraska 163 4.53 +105%
Oregon 292 4.48 +103%
South Dakota 64 4.48 +103%
Wisconsin 455 4.42 +100%
Michigan 772 4.24 +92%
Colorado 472 4.23 +91%
Ohio 948 4.00 +81%
Pennsylvania 929 3.93 +78%
Connecticut 228 3.92 +77%
Virginia 633 3.71 +68%
Indiana 510 3.63 +64%
Iowa 212 3.63 +64%
Idaho 119 3.56 +61%
West Virginia 88 3.36 +52%
Washington 473 3.27 +48%
Illinois 713 3.11 +41%
Maryland 328 3.10 +40%
Kentucky 239 2.79 +27%
Louisiana 243 2.78 +26%
Tennessee 421 2.66 +20%
North Carolina 598 2.63 +19%
South Carolina 228 2.54 +15%
Oklahoma 183 2.49 +13%
New York 911 2.30 ≈ national
New Jersey 402 2.23 ≈ national
Nevada 102 2.20 ≈ national
Arkansas 115 2.18 ≈ national
New Mexico 51 2.10 -5%
Hawaii 23 2.01 -9%
Georgia 440 1.94 -12%
Arizona 261 1.86 -16%
Alabama 172 1.83 -17%
Utah 136 1.63 -26%
Mississippi 76 1.62 -26%
California 1,341 1.60 -28%
Florida 681 1.59 -28%
Texas 1,227 1.53 -31%

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 Josephine

Josephine is a top-100 name for girls in the United States, ranked #53 in 2025 with 4,126 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 332,458 American babies have been named Josephine. Its peak came in 1918, when 8,709 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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 Josephine stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Josephine?

The median living Josephine is about 30 years old; half are between 9 and 73. An estimated 124 thousand people named Josephine 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.

Josephine year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 4,126 #53 – –
2024 3,765 #56 – –
2023 3,371 #64 5 #13,131
2022 3,266 #70 – –
2021 3,391 #72 – –
2020 3,057 #87 – –
2019 3,123 #90 – –
2018 3,050 #91 – –
2017 2,823 #107 – –
2016 2,797 #114 – –
2015 2,505 #131 – –
2014 2,286 #147 – –
2013 2,012 #160 – –
2012 1,957 #160 – –
2011 1,730 #182 – –
2010 1,677 #185 – –
2009 1,628 #201 – –
2008 1,635 #208 – –
2007 1,562 #223 – –
2006 1,548 #221 – –
2005 1,490 #229 – –
2004 1,337 #242 – –
2003 1,257 #258 – –
2002 1,198 #264 – –
2001 1,153 #275 – –
2000 1,116 #288 – –
1995 700 #376 – –
1990 579 #435 – –
1985 423 #485 – –
1980 502 #430 – –
1975 456 #434 6 #5,111
1970 677 #363 – –
1965 863 #309 7 #3,397
1960 1,157 #263 7 #3,492
1955 1,595 #199 6 #3,694
1950 2,093 #146 – –
1945 2,146 #120 10 #2,320
1940 2,744 #89 12 #2,131
1935 3,262 #75 24 #1,409
1930 4,988 #49 33 #1,244
1925 6,810 #36 25 #1,519
1920 8,093 #28 14 #2,282
1915 7,606 #22 16 #1,835
1910 2,801 #30 8 #1,260
1905 1,894 #37 7 #1,036
1900 1,743 #47 6 #1,241
1895 1,334 #47 – –
1890 1,118 #49 6 #946
1885 783 #48 6 #881
1880 544 #50 – –

Famous people named Josephine

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

  1. 1 Josephine Baker Josephine Baker American-born French entertainer (1906–1975) Contemporary
  2. 2 Josephine Langford Josephine Langford Australian actress (born 1997) Contemporary
  3. 3 Josephine Chaplin Josephine Chaplin American actress (1949–2023) Contemporary
  4. 4 Josephine Bakhita Josephine Bakhita Italian saint and former slave (1869–1947) 1868–1947 · 19th century
  5. 5 Josephine Tey Josephine Tey Scottish author (1896–1952) 19th century
  6. 6 Josephine of Leuchtenberg Josephine of Leuchtenberg Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859 1807–1876 · 19th century
  7. 7 Josephine Cochrane Josephine Cochrane American inventor (1839–1913) 19th century
  8. 8 Josephine Skriver Josephine Skriver Danish model (born 1993) Contemporary
  9. 9 Josephine Butler Josephine Butler English feminist and social reformer (1828–1906) 19th century
  10. 10 Josephine Hull Josephine Hull American stage and film actress (1877–1957) 19th century
  11. 11 Josephine Kablick Josephine Kablick Czech botanist and paleontologist (1787–1863) 18th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Josephine?

The median living Josephine is about 30 years old. Half of all living Josephines are between 9 and 73 years old.

How many people named Josephine are alive today?

An estimated 124 thousand people named Josephine are alive in the United States, based on 332,458 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Josephine mean?

From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph.

How popular is the name Josephine in 2025?

Josephine ranked #53 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 4,126 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Josephine?

332,458 babies have been named Josephine in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Josephine most popular?

Josephine peaked in 1918, when 8,709 newborns received the name.

Is Josephine a boy or girl name?

Josephine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Josephine rising or falling?

Josephine is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Josephine become more popular?

Josephine is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 4,777 girls named Josephine in 2030, which would rank around #44. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Josephine?

Well-known people named Josephine include Josephine Baker (dancer), Josephine Langford (actor), Josephine Chaplin (actor).

Names like Josephine

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

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