Unisex name · since 1915

Josey

Josey has 3,231 recorded births since 1915 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2012 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#3,430 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#2,792 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
3,231
born since 1915
2010s
peak decade

3,231 babies have been named Josey since 1915, making it today's #2792 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Josey recorded 3,231 times among girls since 1915, holding rank #2792 nationally today, ahead of 84% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.

  • #3,430 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #2,792 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 3,231 born since 1915
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Josey ranks #3,430 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,792 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 3,231 born since 1915, peaking in the 2010s.

#3,430 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#2,792 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
3,231
born since 1915
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%83.8%
Josey vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Josey's 3,231 recorded births place it above 95.25% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

21 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Josey compares

3,231 Top 18% higher than 82% of 17,297 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

Josey's all-time total is 9x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Josey Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 3,231 376 567,345
Peak-year births 106 21 19,840

Josey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Josey splits its recorded history at 1992: 86% of all births land in the more recent half, 14% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1915 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2012 peak of 106 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Josey popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2012)
106
Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
050100150 191519571977198619952004201320222025 61

Josey popularity over time - boys

1,017 total births recorded since 1976 (Josey as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 1,017 births
01020304050 19761983199019972004201120182025 25

Josey by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (905 births, 28% of the file).

2010s was Josey's strongest decade.

905 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.

Josey births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 905 births (28% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Josey 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 Josey's total volume

Josey vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -107, 12.4%-127, 3.6%-52, 5%-50, 6.2%-73, 7.1%-19, 17.7%-112, 4%-49, 9.5%-32, 10.2%-96, 2.8%-71, 3.7%-53, 8.7%-17, 11.7%-103, 4.2%-54, 3.7%Josey-111, 3.3%Josey
Josey vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Josey by state

Where Josey concentrates geographically, total births since 1915

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Josey
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
355 11.0%
#2 Ohio
91 2.8%
#3 Georgia
61 1.9%
#4 Missouri
54 1.7%
#5 Indiana
48 1.5%
#6 Tennessee
47 1.5%
#7 Illinois
44 1.4%
#8 North Carolina
39 1.2%
Texas share of Josey's total US births 11.0%
Even split

355 of 3,231 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.

Josey appears in 21 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Josey? ▼
3,231 babies have been named Josey since 1915. All-time, it sits at #3,430 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,792 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 2012 with 106 births.
Where does Josey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Josey ranks #3,430 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,792 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Josey most popular? ▼
Josey was most popular in the 2010s decade with 905 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
Where is Josey most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Josey are Texas (355 births), Ohio (91 births), Georgia (61 births).
Is Josey a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Josey is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 3,231 births, and as a boy's name it has 1,017 births.
How long has the name Josey been used? ▼
Josey has been recorded in Social Security data since 1915, spanning 111 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Josey? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Josephine, Josie, Joselyn, Josefina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Josey's data

  • Josey's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (905 total births) through the 2020s (474) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Joseys (355 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Josey

Nearby Names Like Josey

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Josey

Josephine Girl
#53 331,467 births
Josie Girl
#82 75,370 births
Joselyn Girl
#1503 18,214 births
Josefina Girl
#1881 13,932 births
Joslyn Girl
#2727 11,227 births

Compare Josey side by side: Josey vs Josephine Josey vs Josie Josey vs Joselyn

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Josey

Joie #2791
2,968 births · Peak 2019
Truly #2793
1,092 births · Peak 2025
Lili #2790
3,862 births · Peak 2003
Brigid #2794
6,504 births · Peak 2000
Philippa #2789
1,815 births · Peak 2022
Vittoria #2795
1,624 births · Peak 2023
Wynona #2788
3,836 births · Peak 1930
Jaclyn #2796
49,632 births · Peak 1988

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Josey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1915–2025 (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 Josey 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.