Girl nameCurrently #56 in the USRising
Josephine
JOH-suh-feen//ˈdʒoʊzəfiːn//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19189 lettersStarts with J
Meaning & origin
God will add, God will increase
Josephine is the French feminine form of Joseph, from the Hebrew meaning 'God will add' or 'increase'. Made famous by Empress Joséphine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, it has a stately, historic elegance that has kept it fashionable for over two centuries.
Josephine's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Josephine |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 544 |
| 1881 | 563 |
| 1882 | 638 |
| 1883 | 697 |
| 1884 | 800 |
| 1885 | 789 |
| 1886 | 844 |
| 1887 | 815 |
| 1888 | 1,006 |
| 1889 | 1,053 |
| 1890 | 1,124 |
| 1891 | 1,036 |
| 1892 | 1,216 |
| 1893 | 1,178 |
| 1894 | 1,256 |
| 1895 | 1,334 |
| 1896 | 1,263 |
| 1897 | 1,274 |
| 1898 | 1,425 |
| 1899 | 1,394 |
| 1900 | 1,749 |
| 1901 | 1,442 |
| 1902 | 1,572 |
| 1903 | 1,599 |
| 1904 | 1,701 |
| 1905 | 1,901 |
| 1906 | 1,908 |
| 1907 | 2,164 |
| 1908 | 2,397 |
| 1909 | 2,427 |
| 1910 | 2,809 |
| 1911 | 3,025 |
| 1912 | 3,990 |
| 1913 | 4,835 |
| 1914 | 5,913 |
| 1915 | 7,622 |
| 1916 | 8,142 |
| 1917 | 8,344 |
| 1918 | 8,709 |
| 1919 | 8,124 |
| 1920 | 8,107 |
| 1921 | 8,156 |
| 1922 | 7,887 |
| 1923 | 7,575 |
| 1924 | 7,291 |
| 1925 | 6,835 |
| 1926 | 6,428 |
| 1927 | 6,140 |
| 1928 | 5,701 |
| 1929 | 5,324 |
| 1930 | 5,021 |
| 1931 | 4,533 |
| 1932 | 4,131 |
| 1933 | 3,590 |
| 1934 | 3,762 |
| 1935 | 3,286 |
| 1936 | 3,166 |
| 1937 | 2,968 |
| 1938 | 3,002 |
| 1939 | 2,859 |
| 1940 | 2,756 |
| 1941 | 2,746 |
| 1942 | 2,765 |
| 1943 | 2,679 |
| 1944 | 2,337 |
| 1945 | 2,156 |
| 1946 | 2,234 |
| 1947 | 2,351 |
| 1948 | 2,237 |
| 1949 | 2,163 |
| 1950 | 2,093 |
| 1951 | 1,975 |
| 1952 | 1,868 |
| 1953 | 1,807 |
| 1954 | 1,726 |
| 1955 | 1,601 |
| 1956 | 1,494 |
| 1957 | 1,442 |
| 1958 | 1,279 |
| 1959 | 1,177 |
| 1960 | 1,165 |
| 1961 | 1,210 |
| 1962 | 1,109 |
| 1963 | 1,059 |
| 1964 | 971 |
| 1965 | 870 |
| 1966 | 838 |
| 1967 | 744 |
| 1968 | 693 |
| 1969 | 699 |
| 1970 | 677 |
| 1971 | 603 |
| 1972 | 580 |
| 1973 | 535 |
| 1974 | 536 |
| 1975 | 462 |
| 1976 | 431 |
| 1977 | 442 |
| 1978 | 457 |
| 1979 | 437 |
| 1980 | 502 |
| 1981 | 476 |
| 1982 | 491 |
| 1983 | 480 |
| 1984 | 437 |
| 1985 | 423 |
| 1986 | 456 |
| 1987 | 436 |
| 1988 | 508 |
| 1989 | 536 |
| 1990 | 579 |
| 1991 | 607 |
| 1992 | 591 |
| 1993 | 596 |
| 1994 | 648 |
| 1995 | 700 |
| 1996 | 725 |
| 1997 | 784 |
| 1998 | 840 |
| 1999 | 989 |
| 2000 | 1,116 |
| 2001 | 1,153 |
| 2002 | 1,198 |
| 2003 | 1,257 |
| 2004 | 1,337 |
| 2005 | 1,490 |
| 2006 | 1,548 |
| 2007 | 1,562 |
| 2008 | 1,634 |
| 2009 | 1,627 |
| 2010 | 1,677 |
| 2011 | 1,730 |
| 2012 | 1,957 |
| 2013 | 2,012 |
| 2014 | 2,286 |
| 2015 | 2,505 |
| 2016 | 2,797 |
| 2017 | 2,822 |
| 2018 | 3,048 |
| 2019 | 3,122 |
| 2020 | 3,057 |
| 2021 | 3,389 |
| 2022 | 3,263 |
| 2023 | 3,371 |
| 2024 | 3,746 |
Josephine through the decades
- Josephine peaked in 1918, when 8,709 babies were named Josephine in the US.
- The 1920s were Josephine's strongest decade, averaging 6,944 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Josephine has risen 78% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Josephine currently ranks #56 in the US and is on the rise.
Nicknames
JoJosieFifi
Variants & spellings
JosefinaGiuseppina
Famous people named Josephine
- Joséphine de Beauharnais — Empress of France