Jose
Jose was given to 3,678 boys in 2025, #95 among boys’ names; 596,732 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 515,000 Americans named Jose and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (86% of everyone recorded); the median is 32 years old and half are between 21 and 46.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jose by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jose mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jose is “a male given name from Spanish, equivalent to English Joseph, an anglicized spelling of Spanish José and Portuguese José.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Josephine.”
From Spanish/Portuguese José, from Hebrew. Doublet of Joseph.
/hoʊˈzeɪ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jose?
#95 among boys’ names, 2025
Jose fell from #80 in 2015 to #95 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 2.7 to 2.2 per 1,000.
12,916 babies in 2002, the peak
Jose peaked in 2002, when 12,916 babies were given it (12,868 boys, #30 among boys’ names). The 3,678 births of 2025 are 28% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,678 | #95 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 3,784 | #91 | 2.2 |
| 2023 | 3,725 | #93 | 2.2 |
| 2022 | 4,031 | #88 | 2.3 |
| 2021 | 4,002 | #89 | 2.3 |
| 2020 | 3,855 | #94 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | 4,135 | #92 | 2.3 |
| 2018 | 4,318 | #89 | 2.4 |
| 2017 | 4,815 | #81 | 2.6 |
| 2016 | 5,119 | #77 | 2.7 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,177 | #80 | 2.7 |
| 2014 | 5,485 | #76 | 2.9 |
| 2013 | 5,627 | #76 | 3.0 |
| 2012 | 6,041 | #72 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | 6,766 | #65 | 3.6 |
| 2010 | 7,703 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 2009 | 8,818 | #43 | 4.4 |
| 2008 | 9,826 | #40 | 4.8 |
| 2007 | 11,252 | #35 | 5.4 |
| 2006 | 11,604 | #30 | 5.6 |
| 2005 | 12,065 | #30 | 6.0 |
| 2004 | 12,187 | #28 | 6.1 |
| 2003 | 12,394 | #30 | 6.3 |
| 2002 | 12,868 | #30 | 6.6 |
| 2001 | 12,144 | #34 | 6.3 |
| 2000 | 12,585 | #34 | 6.4 |
| 1999 | 12,155 | #35 | 6.3 |
| 1998 | 12,374 | #33 | 6.5 |
| 1997 | 11,929 | #32 | 6.3 |
| 1996 | 12,155 | #32 | 6.4 |
| 1995 | 11,781 | #35 | 6.2 |
| 1994 | 11,731 | #36 | 6.1 |
| 1993 | 11,847 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1992 | 11,824 | #37 | 5.9 |
| 1991 | 11,727 | #37 | 5.8 |
| 1990 | 11,519 | #41 | 5.6 |
| 1989 | 10,331 | #46 | 5.2 |
| 1988 | 9,007 | #49 | 4.7 |
| 1987 | 8,737 | #48 | 4.7 |
| 1986 | 8,363 | #51 | 4.5 |
| 1985 | 8,403 | #49 | 4.5 |
| 1984 | 8,013 | #49 | 4.4 |
| 1983 | 8,073 | #48 | 4.5 |
| 1982 | 8,624 | #46 | 4.8 |
| 1981 | 8,773 | #45 | 4.9 |
| 1980 | 8,323 | #46 | 4.7 |
| 1979 | 7,848 | #44 | 4.6 |
| 1978 | 7,148 | #44 | 4.4 |
| 1977 | 6,919 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1976 | 7,061 | #44 | 4.5 |
| 1975 | 6,967 | #48 | 4.5 |
| 1974 | 6,720 | #47 | 4.3 |
| 1973 | 6,097 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1972 | 5,935 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1971 | 6,004 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1970 | 5,691 | #56 | 3.1 |
| 1969 | 5,185 | #56 | 2.9 |
| 1968 | 4,794 | #58 | 2.8 |
| 1967 | 4,417 | #64 | 2.5 |
| 1966 | 4,194 | #79 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | 3,966 | #89 | 2.1 |
| 1964 | 3,976 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1963 | 4,012 | #98 | 2.0 |
| 1962 | 3,827 | #103 | 1.8 |
| 1961 | 3,757 | #107 | 1.8 |
| 1960 | 3,915 | #107 | 1.8 |
| 1959 | 3,579 | #113 | 1.7 |
| 1958 | 3,425 | #118 | 1.6 |
| 1957 | 3,472 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 1956 | 3,398 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 1955 | 3,313 | #104 | 1.6 |
| 1954 | 3,227 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1953 | 3,016 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1952 | 2,689 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,683 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1950 | 2,638 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1949 | 2,441 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1948 | 2,262 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1947 | 2,091 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1946 | 1,859 | #133 | 1.1 |
| 1945 | 1,607 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1944 | 1,512 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1943 | 1,373 | #151 | 1.0 |
| 1942 | 1,310 | #150 | 0.95 |
| 1941 | 1,194 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1940 | 1,169 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1939 | 1,098 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1938 | 1,158 | #142 | 1.0 |
| 1937 | 1,087 | #142 | 1.0 |
| 1936 | 1,119 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1935 | 1,168 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1934 | 1,221 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1933 | 1,171 | #136 | 1.2 |
| 1932 | 1,316 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1931 | 1,360 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1,600 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1929 | 1,692 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 1928 | 1,770 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 1927 | 1,636 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1926 | 1,474 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1925 | 1,449 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1924 | 1,393 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1923 | 1,325 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1922 | 1,257 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1921 | 1,210 | #132 | 1.1 |
| 1920 | 1,241 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1919 | 1,026 | #141 | 1.0 |
| 1918 | 871 | #160 | 0.86 |
| 1917 | 800 | #158 | 0.86 |
| 1916 | 686 | #175 | 0.77 |
| 1915 | 659 | #174 | 0.78 |
| 1914 | 552 | #160 | 0.84 |
| 1913 | 432 | #161 | 0.84 |
| 1912 | 356 | #163 | 0.83 |
| 1911 | 268 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1910 | 249 | #134 | 1.3 |
| 1909 | 213 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1908 | 192 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1907 | 170 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1906 | 154 | #136 | 1.2 |
| 1905 | 200 | #108 | 1.5 |
| 1904 | 144 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1903 | 141 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1902 | 125 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1901 | 127 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1900 | 161 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1899 | 90 | #165 | 0.85 |
| 1898 | 110 | #156 | 0.90 |
| 1897 | 85 | #180 | 0.75 |
| 1896 | 104 | #158 | 0.87 |
| 1895 | 104 | #149 | 0.89 |
| 1894 | 94 | #163 | 0.81 |
| 1893 | 84 | #171 | 0.75 |
| 1892 | 106 | #153 | 0.87 |
| 1891 | 77 | #168 | 0.76 |
| 1890 | 93 | #151 | 0.84 |
| 1889 | 80 | #169 | 0.72 |
| 1888 | 99 | #154 | 0.82 |
| 1887 | 95 | #134 | 0.94 |
| 1886 | 85 | #164 | 0.77 |
| 1885 | 111 | #123 | 1.0 |
| 1884 | 112 | #129 | 1.0 |
| 1883 | 74 | #166 | 0.71 |
| 1882 | 95 | #144 | 0.84 |
| 1881 | 75 | #163 | 0.74 |
| 1880 | 84 | #161 | 0.76 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Jose a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Jose has been given almost only to boys: 4,220 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Jose: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jose, and how old are they?
515,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 86% of the 596,732 Americans ever recorded as Jose. The median Jose alive today is 32 years old; half are between 21 and 46.
The 2020 Census counted 1,211,106 people named Jose (3,013 women and girls, 1,208,093 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 508,506 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2.4 times 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 | 4,650 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 41,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 87,400 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 154,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 170,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 57,400 |
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 Jose born?
The states with the most babies named Jose are Texas, California and Florida, with 51% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 991 | #15 | 3.5× |
| California | 681 | #49 | 2.4× |
| Florida | 212 | #104 | 0.8× |
| Arizona | 185 | #22 | 2.2× |
| Illinois | 114 | #102 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 114 | #107 | 0.4× |
| Georgia | 102 | #115 | 0.4× |
| New York | 96 | #206 | 1.1× |
| Colorado | 71 | #96 | 1.0× |
| New Jersey | 69 | #140 | 0.8× |
Where Jose is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jose is most over-represented in Texas: since 1910 it was given 3.5 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 Jose 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 7 names spelled alike, given to 656,455 babies since 1880, Jose is the most given (91% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,678 of their 4,731 babies (78%), again the most given.
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 Jose
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 Jose and names like it
- Compare Jose and JosueBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sJose peaked in 2002.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jose since 1910.
- Spanish namesWiktionary’s origin for Jose: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2002The year the most babies were named Jose.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Jose alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with JMost given first.