Total births
331,467
Girls' name · since 1880
Josephine
Josephine has 331,467 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #56
- among girls today
- 331,467
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
331,467 babies have been named Josephine since 1880, making it today's #56 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Josephine recorded 331,467 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #56 nationally today, ahead of 99.7% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #56 among girls today
- 331,467 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.7% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Josephine is currently the #56 girls' name in America, more common than 99.7% of girls - 331,467 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #56
- among girls today
- 331,467
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.7%
- more common than other girls
Josephine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#56
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.7% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Josephine was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
8,682 babies were named Josephine in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Josephine compares
331,467 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Josephine's all-time total is 868x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Josephine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 331,467 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,682 | 48 | 19,840 |
Josephine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Josephine's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 29% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 71%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1985, with only 423 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 8,682, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Josephine at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#56
Active since
1880
Josephine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 8,682
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Josephine popularity over time - boys
991 total births recorded since 1885 (Josephine as boys' name)
Josephine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Josephine's strongest decade.
69,223 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Josephine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7,732
1880s
7,732 births
- 1890s 12,463
1890s
12,463 births
- 1900s 18,785
1900s
18,785 births
- 1910s
1910s
61,355 births
- 1920s
1920s
69,223 births
- 1930s
1930s
36,051 births
- 1940s 24,324
1940s
24,324 births
- 1950s 16,412
1950s
16,412 births
- 1960s 9,317
1960s
9,317 births
- 1970s 5,154
1970s
5,154 births
- 1980s 4,732
1980s
4,732 births
- 1990s 7,059
1990s
7,059 births
- 2000s 13,924
2000s
13,924 births
- 2010s 23,960
2010s
23,960 births
- 2020s 20,976
2020s
20,976 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 69,223 births (21% of all-time use).
How Josephine compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Josephine's total volume
Josephine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Josephine by state
Where Josephine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 44,722 | 13.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 26,791 | 8.1% |
| #3 | California | | 18,498 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 16,556 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Texas | | 14,945 | 4.5% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 13,314 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 11,812 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 10,680 | 3.2% |
New York share of Josephine's total US births 13.5%
Even split
44,722 of 331,467 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Josephine appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Josephine? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 331,467 babies named Josephine. Today it holds rank #56 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 8,682 births.
When was Josephine most popular? ▼
Josephine was most popular in the 1920s decade with 69,223 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Josephine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Josephine are New York (44,722 births), Pennsylvania (26,791 births), California (18,498 births).
How long has the name Josephine been used? ▼
Records for Josephine go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Josephine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Josie, Joselyn, Josefina, Joslyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Josephine's data
- Josephine's decade-level peak was the 1920s (69,223 total births); usage has since declined to 20,976 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Josephines (44,722 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Josephine
Nearby Names Like Josephine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Josephine
Josie Girl
#88 75,370 births
Joselyn Girl
#1207 18,214 births
Josefina Girl
#2054 13,932 births
Joslyn Girl
#2253 11,227 births
Joseph Girl
#15300 10,723 births
Compare Josephine side by side: Josephine vs Josie Josephine vs Joselyn Josephine vs Josefina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Josephine
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. "Josephine: #56 Girls' Name - 331,467 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/josephine. 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 Josephine 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.