Joe
Joe was given to 230 boys in 2025, #994 among boys’ names; 464,574 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 193,000 Americans named Joe and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 64 years old and half are between 50 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Joe by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Joe mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Joe is “a diminutive of the male given names Joseph, Josiah, Joel, and Josias.”
Also “Alternative form of Jo: a diminutive of various female given names.”
Short form (diminutive form) of various names beginning with Jo..., particularly the male names Joseph and, less often, Joel, Josiah and Josias. The spelling Jo is used more often for diminutives of similar female names.
/d͡ʒoʊ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Joe?
#994 among boys’ names, 2025
Joe fell from #597 in 2015 to #994 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.24 to 0.13 per 1,000.
8,266 babies in 1936, the peak
Joe peaked in 1936, when 8,266 babies were given it (8,023 boys, #23 among boys’ names). The 230 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 230 | #994 | 0.13 |
| 2024 | 272 | #884 | 0.16 |
| 2023 | 256 | #909 | 0.15 |
| 2022 | 262 | #896 | 0.15 |
| 2021 | 310 | #794 | 0.18 |
| 2020 | 337 | #728 | 0.20 |
| 2019 | 350 | #707 | 0.20 |
| 2018 | 347 | #697 | 0.19 |
| 2017 | 365 | #685 | 0.20 |
| 2016 | 434 | #619 | 0.23 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 460 | #597 | 0.24 |
| 2014 | 490 | #568 | 0.26 |
| 2013 | 476 | #555 | 0.25 |
| 2012 | 499 | #526 | 0.26 |
| 2011 | 536 | #490 | 0.28 |
| 2010 | 592 | #453 | 0.31 |
| 2009 | 607 | #453 | 0.31 |
| 2008 | 725 | #409 | 0.36 |
| 2007 | 732 | #402 | 0.35 |
| 2006 | 816 | #368 | 0.40 |
| 2005 | 800 | #370 | 0.40 |
| 2004 | 826 | #344 | 0.42 |
| 2003 | 899 | #327 | 0.46 |
| 2002 | 922 | #310 | 0.47 |
| 2001 | 965 | #302 | 0.50 |
| 2000 | 920 | #315 | 0.47 |
| 1999 | 972 | #295 | 0.51 |
| 1998 | 1,011 | #285 | 0.53 |
| 1997 | 1,013 | #276 | 0.54 |
| 1996 | 1,058 | #266 | 0.56 |
| 1995 | 1,078 | #260 | 0.57 |
| 1994 | 1,203 | #243 | 0.62 |
| 1993 | 1,255 | #231 | 0.64 |
| 1992 | 1,393 | #220 | 0.70 |
| 1991 | 1,464 | #213 | 0.72 |
| 1990 | 1,460 | #210 | 0.71 |
| 1989 | 1,494 | #195 | 0.75 |
| 1988 | 1,472 | #187 | 0.77 |
| 1987 | 1,488 | #184 | 0.80 |
| 1986 | 1,535 | #173 | 0.83 |
| 1985 | 1,591 | #170 | 0.86 |
| 1984 | 1,592 | #167 | 0.88 |
| 1983 | 1,614 | #163 | 0.90 |
| 1982 | 1,872 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1981 | 1,860 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1980 | 1,990 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1979 | 1,965 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 2,039 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1977 | 2,124 | #128 | 1.3 |
| 1976 | 2,170 | #117 | 1.4 |
| 1975 | 2,239 | #116 | 1.4 |
| 1974 | 2,346 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1973 | 2,522 | #105 | 1.6 |
| 1972 | 2,825 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 1971 | 3,149 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1970 | 3,570 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1969 | 3,617 | #83 | 2.0 |
| 1968 | 3,522 | #85 | 2.0 |
| 1967 | 3,717 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1966 | 4,334 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | 4,833 | #71 | 2.6 |
| 1964 | 5,821 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 1963 | 6,379 | #58 | 3.1 |
| 1962 | 6,793 | #59 | 3.3 |
| 1961 | 7,056 | #60 | 3.3 |
| 1960 | 7,314 | #57 | 3.4 |
| 1959 | 7,389 | #57 | 3.5 |
| 1958 | 7,065 | #56 | 3.3 |
| 1957 | 6,767 | #57 | 3.1 |
| 1956 | 6,124 | #63 | 2.9 |
| 1955 | 5,856 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1954 | 5,873 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1953 | 5,797 | #66 | 2.9 |
| 1952 | 5,892 | #62 | 3.0 |
| 1951 | 5,824 | #57 | 3.1 |
| 1950 | 6,033 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1949 | 6,535 | #52 | 3.7 |
| 1948 | 7,288 | #47 | 4.2 |
| 1947 | 7,904 | #43 | 4.3 |
| 1946 | 7,536 | #37 | 4.6 |
| 1945 | 6,625 | #36 | 4.9 |
| 1944 | 7,062 | #33 | 5.2 |
| 1943 | 7,308 | #35 | 5.1 |
| 1942 | 7,383 | #33 | 5.3 |
| 1941 | 7,158 | #30 | 5.8 |
| 1940 | 7,216 | #28 | 6.2 |
| 1939 | 7,189 | #27 | 6.5 |
| 1938 | 7,438 | #28 | 6.7 |
| 1937 | 7,745 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1936 | 8,023 | #23 | 7.7 |
| 1935 | 7,555 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1934 | 7,090 | #26 | 6.9 |
| 1933 | 6,411 | #27 | 6.5 |
| 1932 | 6,690 | #29 | 6.4 |
| 1931 | 6,456 | #29 | 6.2 |
| 1930 | 6,873 | #27 | 6.3 |
| 1929 | 6,596 | #30 | 6.1 |
| 1928 | 6,682 | #30 | 6.0 |
| 1927 | 6,542 | #30 | 5.8 |
| 1926 | 6,338 | #33 | 5.7 |
| 1925 | 6,107 | #34 | 5.5 |
| 1924 | 6,044 | #35 | 5.3 |
| 1923 | 6,003 | #35 | 5.5 |
| 1922 | 6,089 | #35 | 5.6 |
| 1921 | 6,204 | #36 | 5.6 |
| 1920 | 6,071 | #35 | 5.7 |
| 1919 | 5,709 | #35 | 5.8 |
| 1918 | 5,805 | #34 | 5.7 |
| 1917 | 5,142 | #35 | 5.6 |
| 1916 | 4,911 | #35 | 5.5 |
| 1915 | 4,648 | #38 | 5.5 |
| 1914 | 3,712 | #34 | 5.7 |
| 1913 | 2,806 | #37 | 5.5 |
| 1912 | 2,515 | #36 | 5.8 |
| 1911 | 1,449 | #29 | 6.4 |
| 1910 | 1,553 | #25 | 8.0 |
| 1909 | 1,292 | #23 | 7.9 |
| 1908 | 1,209 | #24 | 7.8 |
| 1907 | 1,177 | #23 | 8.0 |
| 1906 | 1,020 | #25 | 7.7 |
| 1905 | 1,024 | #23 | 7.7 |
| 1904 | 959 | #23 | 7.5 |
| 1903 | 895 | #24 | 7.5 |
| 1902 | 955 | #23 | 7.8 |
| 1901 | 756 | #27 | 7.1 |
| 1900 | 1,179 | #22 | 7.8 |
| 1899 | 780 | #24 | 7.3 |
| 1898 | 827 | #29 | 6.7 |
| 1897 | 798 | #26 | 7.1 |
| 1896 | 767 | #27 | 6.4 |
| 1895 | 763 | #28 | 6.5 |
| 1894 | 741 | #28 | 6.4 |
| 1893 | 721 | #28 | 6.4 |
| 1892 | 819 | #23 | 6.7 |
| 1891 | 584 | #29 | 5.8 |
| 1890 | 682 | #28 | 6.1 |
| 1889 | 709 | #25 | 6.4 |
| 1888 | 789 | #23 | 6.5 |
| 1887 | 685 | #21 | 6.8 |
| 1886 | 759 | #21 | 6.9 |
| 1885 | 681 | #25 | 6.3 |
| 1884 | 759 | #22 | 6.6 |
| 1883 | 607 | #26 | 5.8 |
| 1882 | 739 | #23 | 6.5 |
| 1881 | 639 | #23 | 6.3 |
| 1880 | 731 | #20 | 6.6 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Joe a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 464,574 Americans recorded as Joe, 2% are girls and 98% boys. In 2025 it went to 230 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Joe: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Joe, and how old are they?
193,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 464,574 Americans ever recorded as Joe. The median Joe alive today is 64 years old; half are between 50 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 275,876 people named Joe (3,843 women and girls, 272,033 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 226,832 born in the U.S. The Census count is 22% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 26,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 84,900 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 41,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 22,500 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 12,600 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,550 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Joe born?
The states with the most babies named Joe are Texas, California and Tennessee, with 34% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Tennessee is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 89,278 | #541 | 3.4× |
| California | 39,260 | #851 | 1.3× |
| Tennessee | 20,479 | #983 | 1.9× |
| Alabama | 18,795 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Mississippi | 17,909 | not ranked | 2.3× |
| Georgia | 17,276 | #956 | 1.4× |
| North Carolina | 15,390 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Oklahoma | 14,439 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Illinois | 14,337 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Arkansas | 13,190 | not ranked | 2.0× |
Where Joe is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Joe is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 4.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Joe with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 530,640 babies since 1880, Joe is the most given (88% of them). In 2025 it was given to 230 of their 887 babies (26%), the second most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Joe
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Joe and names like it
- Compare Joe and JoeyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1930sJoe peaked in 1936.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Joe since 1910.
- The top names of 1936The year the most babies were named Joe.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Joe alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with JMost given first.