Boys' name · since 1900
Josef
Since 1900, U.S. Social Security records show 9,158 babies named Josef, peaking in 1999. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,273 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,839 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,158
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
Josef currently ranks #2839 among boys' names in America, with 9,158 babies recorded since 1900.
Social Security Administration records show Josef recorded 9,158 times among boys since 1900, holding rank #2839 nationally today, ahead of 80% of boys, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2025.
- #1,273 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,839 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 9,158 born since 1900
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Josef ranks #1,273 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,839 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,158 born since 1900, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,273 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,839 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,158
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
Josef's 9,158 recorded births place it above 97.2% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
31 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Josef compares
9,158 Top 9% higher than 91% of 13,930 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
Josef's all-time total is 25x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Josef | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,158 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 220 | 34 | 22,252 |
Josef's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Josef's full recorded timeline at 1965, 86% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 14% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1908, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1999 peak of 220 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Josef popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 220
- Annual births at peak, across 126 years of records
Josef by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,834 births, 20% of the file).
2000s was Josef's strongest decade.
1,834 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Josef births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 43
1900s
43 births
- 1910s 173
1910s
173 births
- 1920s 162
1920s
162 births
- 1930s 135
1930s
135 births
- 1940s 172
1940s
172 births
- 1950s 335
1950s
335 births
- 1960s 554
1960s
554 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,026 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,559 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,789 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,834 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,011 births
- 2020s 365
2020s
365 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,834 births (20% of all-time use).
How Josef 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 Josef's total volume
Josef by state
Where Josef concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,062 | 11.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,024 | 11.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 558 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 390 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 266 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Florida | | 239 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 232 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 210 | 2.3% |
1,062 of 9,158 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 31 reporting states.
Josef appears in 31 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Josef? ▼
Where does Josef sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Josef most popular? ▼
Where is Josef most popular? ▼
How long has the name Josef been used? ▼
What names are similar to Josef? ▼
What to do with Josef's data
- Josef's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,834 total births); usage has since declined to 365 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Josefs (1,062 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Josef
Nearby Names Like Josef
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Josef
Compare Josef side by side: Josef vs Joseph Josef vs Joshua Josef vs Jose
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Josef
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Josef: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
Similar record span (~125 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1900–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Josef 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 August 2026.