Josabeth
A feminine name combining variants of Elizabeth and Josiah, meaning "Yahweh is perfection".
Name Census estimates that about 170 living Americans carry the first name Josabeth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josabeth today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josabeth births was 2019 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josabeth. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
170
~ 1 in 2,016,202 Americans
Peak year
2019
51 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,698
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Josabeth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josabeth from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 88 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josabeth by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Josabeth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josabeths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Josabeth, while Florida, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josabeth
The name Josabeth has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the combination of two Hebrew words, "Yeho" meaning "Yahweh" or "God," and "shebath" meaning "oath" or "covenant." Thus, the name Josabeth can be interpreted as "God's oath" or "oath to God."
Josabeth finds mention in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Second Book of Chronicles (22:11). It was the name of the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest during the reign of King Joash in the 9th century BCE. Josabeth played a crucial role in saving the life of the young Prince Joash by hiding him from the wrath of the ruthless Queen Athaliah, who sought to eliminate all potential heirs to the throne.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josabeth is found in the ancient Greek text, the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. The name appears as "Iosabeth" in this text, reflecting the Greek adaptation of the Hebrew name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Josabeth. One of the most renowned was Josabeth Baronesse von Vahrenholtz (1585-1646), a German noblewoman and landowner known for her philanthropic efforts and support of the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent figure with this name was Josabeth Iselin (1720-1771), a Swiss philanthropist and wife of the renowned theologian and philosopher Johann Rudolf Iselin. She was renowned for her dedication to charitable causes and her efforts to improve the lives of the underprivileged.
In the realm of literature, Josabeth is the name of a character in the 17th-century French play "Athalie" by Jean Racine. This tragic play, inspired by the biblical story of Athaliah, features Josabeth as the wife of the high priest Joad, who helps protect the young heir to the throne, Joas.
The name Josabeth also appears in the annals of religious history. Josabeth Kempener (1823-1898) was a German Catholic nun who co-founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family, a religious order dedicated to education and social work.
Lastly, Josabeth Cammerio (1772-1835) was an Italian painter and engraver active during the Neoclassical period. She is known for her exquisite portraits and religious paintings, some of which can be found in the collections of prestigious museums in Italy.
People
Josabeth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josabeth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Josabeth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josabeth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 170 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josabeth going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,016,202 US residents.
Is Josabeth a common name?
We classify Josabeth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 171 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josabeth most popular?
The single biggest year for Josabeth was 2019, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josabeth is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Josabeth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josabeth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josabeth in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Josabeth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josabeth in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Josabeth can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Josabeth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.