Josephine

#53 for girls in 2025, 4,126 births · Last seen for boys in 2023 at #12,239
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1917 · 8,326 births
Debut · girls
544 births
In top 100 · girls
71 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
331,467
since 1880

Josephine over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #21, 1917girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#534,126
2024#563,765
2023#643,371#12,2395
2022#703,266
2021#723,391
2020#873,057
2019#903,123
2018#913,050
2017#1072,823
2016#1142,797
2015#1312,505
2014#1472,286
2013#1602,012
2012#1601,957
2011#1811,730
2010#1851,677
2009#2011,628
2008#2081,635
2007#2231,562
2006#2211,548
2005#2291,490
2004#2421,337
2003#2581,257
2002#2641,198
2001#2751,153
2000#2871,116
1999#312989
1998#347840
1997#353784
1996#371725
1995#375700
1994#390648
1993#418596
1992#427591
1991#421607
1990#435579
1989#459527#5,1659
1988#451503#7,2705
1987#497436
1986#470456
1985#485423
1984#471437
1983#438480
1982#440491
1981#451477
1980#430502
1979#462437
1978#438457
1977#451442
1976#449431
1975#433456#4,7976
1974#389536
1973#383535
1972#372580
1971#381603
1970#363677
1969#338699
1968#332693
1967#319744
1966#306838
1965#309863#3,2447
1964#297962#2,8549
1963#2811,054#3,6466
1962#2691,103#4,0335
1961#2581,204#3,3567
1960#2631,157#3,3377
1959#2571,177
1958#2391,274#3,9445
1957#2211,442
1956#2101,485#2,7989
1955#1991,595#3,5056
1954#1861,719#3,1767
1953#1721,799#2,9058
1952#1691,862#3,3736
1951#1571,966#2,6629
1950#1462,093
1949#1432,163
1948#1342,230#3,0107
1947#1332,351
1946#1272,228#3,1736
1945#1202,146#2,24210
1944#1152,324#1,98813
1943#1082,664#1,91015
1942#1002,748#1,73017
1941#922,726#1,53220
1940#892,744#2,08112
1939#842,837#1,42522
1938#832,978#1,36424
1937#822,942#1,31326
1936#773,141#1,32625
1935#753,262#1,39024
1934#603,742#1,55120
1933#623,569#1,54020
1932#574,095#1,11037
1931#514,497#1,12836
1930#494,988#1,23533
1929#455,298#1,41326
1928#425,671#1,32330
1927#396,108#1,29332
1926#376,410#1,84618
1925#366,810#1,49325
1924#347,274#1,96417
1923#307,560#2,12315
1922#277,864#1,59123
1921#288,135#1,70321
1920#288,093#2,23114
1919#268,104#1,69520
1918#248,682#1,37327
1917#218,326#1,75518
1916#218,127#1,94915
1915#227,606#1,78216
1914#235,896#1,49217
1913#244,822#1,49713
1912#283,980#1,61910
1911#293,011#89614
1910#302,801#1,1938
1909#312,416#89311
1908#282,389#1,0218
1907#332,156#9998
1906#381,900#9278
1905#371,894#1,0027
1904#401,701
1903#401,587#65612
1902#421,565#9337
1901#431,434#7798
1900#471,743#1,1626
1899#441,388#9286
1898#461,425
1897#471,267#8527
1896#501,256#9007
1895#471,334
1894#481,256
1893#501,178
1892#491,210#9566
1891#491,031#9635
1890#491,118#8846
1889#491,047#8786
1888#491,001#1,0315
1887#50815
1886#47844
1885#47783#8366
1884#45800
1883#46697
1882#49638
1881#48563
1880#50544
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Josephine was already there! It came in at #50, and was given to 544 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1971–1993, when fewer than 610 girls a year got the name.

See more about Josephine
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 3 spots since 2024 (#56#53)
  • 34 spots since 2020 (#87#53)
  • 78 spots since 2015 (#131#53)
  • Biggest jump: 46 spots in 1988 (#497#451)
  • Biggest drop: 44 spots in 1975 (#389#433)
Rise & fade · girls
37 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1917 at #21 (8,326 births)
  • Births halved by 1932, 15 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 71 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 71 yrs · run 1880–1942
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 129
  • Highest: 1 in 129 girls born in 1916 were named Josephine (0.78%)
  • Latest: 1 in 390 girls born in 2025 (0.26%)
  • Its best rank, #21 in 1917, was only 1 in 130 (0.77%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 20.9% of all girls named Josephine (69,223) were born in this decade
  • Comeback: #21 (1917) → #497 (1987) → #53 (2025)
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s7,732#45 (1884)#48
1890s12,463#44 (1899)#48
1900s18,785#28 (1908)#38
1910s61,355#21 (1917)#25
1920s69,223#27 (1922)#35
1930s36,051#49 (1930)#68
1940s24,324#89 (1940)#116
1950s16,412#146 (1950)#196
1960s9,317#258 (1961)#297
1970s5,154#363 (1970)#412
1980s4,732#430 (1980)#459
1990s7,059#312 (1999)#385
2000s13,924#201 (2009)#241
2010s23,960#90 (2019)#137
2020s20,976#53 (2025)#67

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Josephine in 1940

girls
#89
2,744 births · 1 in 417 girls
boys
#2,081
12 births · 1 in 96,598 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #89Josephine2,744

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #2,081Josephine12
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 417 of them was named Josephine, which outranked 98.2% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Josephine
  1. #86Edna2,835
  2. #87Anita2,828
  3. #88Connie2,795
  4. #89Josephine2,744
  5. #90Jeanette2,727
  6. #91Julia2,709
  7. #91Katherine2,709
Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 96,598 of them was named Josephine, which outranked 47.1% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Josephine
  1. #1,983Wray13
  2. #1,983Wynn13
  3. #1,983Young13
  4. #2,081Josephine12
  5. #2,081Adron12
  6. #2,081Almer12
  7. #2,081Americo12
  8. #2,179Adrien11
  9. #2,179Allard11
  10. #2,179Alston11

Tied with 97 names at #2,081; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1940