Josefa
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will increase or add".
Name Census estimates that about 1,529 living Americans carry the first name Josefa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josefa today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josefa births was 1925 (84 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josefa. 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
1.5K
~ 1 in 224,169 Americans
Peak year
1925
84 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,478
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Josefa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josefa from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 726 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josefa 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 Josefa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josefas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Josefa, while Illinois, New York, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 407 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josefa
The name Josefa is a feminine Spanish given name derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning "he will add" or "he will increase." It is the Spanish equivalent of the English name Josephine, and both names share a common origin with the masculine name Joseph.
The name Josefa has its roots in the biblical story of Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, who rose to prominence in ancient Egypt. The name Yosef gained widespread popularity among Jews and later Christians, leading to various variations in different languages.
In Spanish-speaking cultures, Josefa became a common name for girls, particularly during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Many notable women throughout history have borne this name, including Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez (1768-1829), a Mexican revolutionary who played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from Spain.
Another well-known figure was Josefa Segovia (1820-1900), a Spanish painter and one of the first women to be admitted to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. In literature, Josefa Amar y Borbón (1749-1808) was a Spanish writer, educator, and advocate for women's rights during the Enlightenment era.
The name Josefa has also been associated with religious figures, such as Josefa Naval Girbés (1820-1893), a Spanish nun and founder of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Additionally, Josefa Menendez (1890-1923), a Spanish mystic and member of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis, was known for her spiritual visions and writings.
Other notable bearers of the name Josefa include Josefa Idem (1920-2011), a German-Spanish writer and journalist, and Josefa Llanes Escudero (1898-1949), a Spanish anarchist and activist who fought for women's rights and social justice during the Spanish Civil War.
While the name Josefa has its origins in Hebrew and Spanish cultures, it has also been adopted and adapted in other languages and cultures around the world, reflecting the widespread influence and popularity of this name throughout history.
People
Josefa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josefa 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
Josefa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josefa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,529 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josefa 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 224,169 US residents.
Is Josefa a common name?
We classify Josefa as "Rare". It ranks above 92.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,050 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josefa most popular?
The single biggest year for Josefa was 1925, when 84 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josefa is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josefa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josefa 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.
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.