Josefine
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God shall increase".
Name Census estimates that about 605 living Americans carry the first name Josefine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josefine today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josefine births was 2021 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josefine. 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
605
~ 1 in 566,536 Americans
Peak year
2021
26 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,680
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Josefine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josefine from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 153 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Josefine remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josefine 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 Josefine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josefines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Josefine, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josefine
Josefine is a feminine given name derived from the Hebrew name Joseph, meaning "he will add" or "he will increase". It traces its roots back to ancient times, with Joseph being a prominent figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.
The name Joseph gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly after the Christian tradition of naming children after biblical figures became more common. Josefine emerged as a feminine form of Joseph, with variations in spelling such as Josephine, Josefina, and Josefína.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josefine can be found in the 14th century, when Josefine von Öttingen, a German noblewoman, lived between 1340 and 1410. In the 16th century, Josefine of Bavaria (1572-1598) was a German princess and the wife of Duke Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Weimar.
During the 18th century, the name Josefine gained further prominence. Josefine of Carignano (1698-1767) was an Italian princess and the mother of King Louis XV of France. Josefine Tussaud (1761-1850), the founder of the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, was another notable figure who bore this name.
In the 19th century, Josefine Gallmeyer (1838-1884) was an Austrian writer and feminist activist, known for her contributions to the women's movement in Austria. Josefine Mutzenbacher (1852-1904), although a fictional character from an erotic novel, became a cultural icon and contributed to the popularity of the name.
Josefine Dora (1868-1944) was a German actress and singer who gained fame in the early 20th century. More recently, Josefine Preuß (born 1986) is a contemporary German actress known for her roles in television and film.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Josefine throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Josefine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josefine 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
Josefine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josefine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 605 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josefine 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 566,536 US residents.
Is Josefine a common name?
We classify Josefine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 692 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josefine most popular?
The single biggest year for Josefine was 2021, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josefine is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josefine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josefine 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.