Josef
Josef was the 2860th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 663rd; the most babies were born in 1999 (220). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,150 places. More babies were named Josef in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Joseph) 'God will add / increase' · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #2,860 boys, down 737 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 44boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1999220 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,158babies recorded
What does the name Josef mean?
Josef is a spelling of Joseph, pronounced the same way, so it shares Joseph's meaning and origin.
Joseph is a Hebrew name, glossed by DMNES as 'God will increase'. In Genesis 30:24 Rachel names him with the wish that God add another son. Its bearers include Jacob's son Joseph in Genesis and Joseph, husband of Mary, in the New Testament. It has been common in Christian Europe since the Middle Ages.
יוֹסֵף (Biblical Hebrew, “Yosef, 'may he add'”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Joseph'
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 30.24, JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translator's note (via Sefaria)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (names.zip, yob*.txt), team3 computation
- Wikidata item Q471788
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joseph'
Josef popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,860 | 44 |
| 2020 | #2,123 | 66 |
| 2010 | #1,327 | 129 |
| 2000 | #814 | 198 |
| 1990 | #789 | 166 |
| 1980 | #708 | 151 |
| 1970 | #838 | 93 |
| 1960 | #1,063 | 53 |
| 1950 | #1,780 | 18 |
| 1940 | #1,941 | 14 |
| 1930 | #2,129 | 14 |
| 1920 | #2,004 | 17 |
| 1910 | #1,083 | 10 |
| 1900 | #1,240 | 6 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Josef, counting every spelling?
Josef is a spelling of Joseph, a name family that ranked #33 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,860 for Josef on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,364 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph | 7,303 | #29 | 37,848 |
| Josef | 44 | #2,860 | 299 |
| Jozef | 17 | #5,493 | 88 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Josef?
44 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Josef (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Josef born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 191 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Josef.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Josef?
About 8,100 people born in the US named Josef are alive today, with a median age of 31; half are between 21 and 44. That makes Josef mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Josef by state
How common Josef was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (3.6×). In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Josef: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Josef, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Josef
What does Josef mean?
Josef is a spelling of Joseph, which means “'God will add / increase'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Josef?
Josef was the 2860th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 663rd; the most babies were born in 1999 (220). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,150 places. More babies were named Josef in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Josef a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Josef in the US.
Where is Josef most popular?
In 2021–2025, Josef was most common in New York (0.13 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Texas.