Top 60 US name Girls' name Peak 1918 327,305 births

Josephine — #56 US girls' name

327,305 babies named Josephine in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s77321890s124631900s187851910s613551920s692231930s360511940s243241950s164121960s93171970s51541980s47311990s70592000s139222010s239562020s16821
#56
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Josephine

The Social Security Administration has registered 327,305 babies named Josephine between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Josephine currently holds the #56 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 8,682 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Josephine performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 69,223 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Josephine shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 44,518 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Josephine in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Josephine in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 327,305 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Josephine at a glance

Top 100 girls' name

Total births

327,305

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

8,682 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#56

In the top 100

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Josephine popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 100 girls' name
Peak year (1918)
8,682
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 544

Josephine popularity over time — boys

991 total births recorded since 1885 (Josephine as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 991 births
010203040 202319581944193419241914190318891885 6

Josephine by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
69,223 births that decade — 21% of Josephine's all-time total
1880s77321890s124631900s187851910s613551920s692231930s360511940s243241950s164121960s93171970s51541980s47311990s70592000s139222010s239562020s16821

Josephine by state

Where Josephine concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Josephine
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
44,518 13.6%
#2 Pennsylvania
26,573 8.1%
#3 California
18,198 5.6%
#4 Illinois
16,396 5.0%
#5 Texas
14,630 4.5%
#6 New Jersey
13,231 4.0%
#7 Ohio
11,591 3.5%
#8 Massachusetts
10,556 3.2%
New York share of Josephine's total US births 13.6%
Even split

44,518 of 327,305 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?
327,305 babies have been named Josephine since 1880. It currently ranks #56 among girls. The peak year 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 (44,518 births), Pennsylvania (26,573 births), California (18,198 births).
How long has the name Josephine been used?
Josephine has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Josephine

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.