Total births
453,255
Boys' name · since 1880
Joe
Joe has 453,255 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1936 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #882
- among boys today
- 453,255
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Joe is the #882 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 453,255 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Joe has been recorded 453,255 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #882 nationally and more common than 94% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #882 among boys today
- 453,255 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Joe is currently the #882 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 453,255 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #882
- among boys today
- 453,255
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Joe vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#882
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Joe was born in this single decade.
1936
Single peak year
8,023 babies were named Joe in 1936 - its busiest year on record.
How Joe compares
453,255 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Joe's all-time total is 1,235x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Joe | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 453,255 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,023 | 23 | 22,252 |
Joe's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Joe's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 37% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 63%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 230 births recorded -- set against the 1936 peak of 8,023, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Joe at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1936
Current rank
#882
Active since
1880
Joe popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1936)
- 8,023
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Joe popularity over time - girls
11,319 total births recorded since 1880 (Joe as girls' name)
Joe by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Joe's strongest decade.
72,015 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Joe births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7,098
1880s
7,098 births
- 1890s 7,482
1890s
7,482 births
- 1900s 10,466
1900s
10,466 births
- 1910s
1910s
38,250 births
- 1920s
1920s
62,676 births
- 1930s
1930s
71,470 births
- 1940s
1940s
72,015 births
- 1950s
1950s
62,620 births
- 1960s
1960s
53,386 births
- 1970s 24,949
1970s
24,949 births
- 1980s 16,508
1980s
16,508 births
- 1990s 11,907
1990s
11,907 births
- 2000s 8,212
2000s
8,212 births
- 2010s 4,549
2010s
4,549 births
- 2020s 1,667
2020s
1,667 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 72,015 births (16% of all-time use).
How Joe compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Joe's total volume
Joe vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Joe by state
Where Joe concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 87,651 | 19.3% |
| #2 | California | | 39,016 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Tennessee | | 19,876 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 18,218 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 16,782 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 16,661 | 3.7% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 14,955 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 14,194 | 3.1% |
Texas share of Joe's total US births 19.3%
Even split
87,651 of 453,255 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Joe appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Joe? ▼
453,255 babies have been named Joe since 1880. It currently ranks #882 among boys. The peak year was 1936 with 8,023 births.
When was Joe most popular? ▼
Joe was most popular in the 1940s decade with 72,015 total births. The single peak year was 1936.
Where is Joe most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Joe are Texas (87,651 births), California (39,016 births), Tennessee (19,876 births).
How long has the name Joe been used? ▼
Records for Joe go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Joe? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Joel, Joey, Joesph, Joeseph, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Joe's data
- Joe's decade-level peak was the 1940s (72,015 total births); usage has since declined to 1,667 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Joes (87,651 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Joe
Nearby Names Like Joe
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Joe
Joel Boy
#219 279,655 births
Joey Boy
#889 53,758 births
Joesph Boy
#6207 15,650 births
Joeseph Boy
2,849 births
Joell Boy
#4941 1,200 births
Compare Joe side by side: Joe vs Joel Joe vs Joey Joe vs Joesph
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Joe
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Joe: #882 Boys' Name - 453,255 Births, Peak 1936." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/joe. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Joe draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.