Joseh
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the first name Joseh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Joseh today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joseh births was 1986 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joseh. 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
134
~ 1 in 2,557,868 Americans
Peak year
1986
22 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1987 SSA rank
#4,411
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Joseh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joseh from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, 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
Joseh 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 Joseh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josehs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Joseh
The given name Joseh is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Yosef, which is derived from the root word yasaf, meaning "to add" or "to increase." The name Yosef appeared in the biblical Book of Genesis, where it was borne by one of the twelve sons of Jacob, later known as Joseph.
The name Joseh is a variant spelling of the more common Joseph, which has been widely used across various cultures and religions. In ancient times, the name was popular among Jews and early Christians, who revered the biblical figure Joseph for his righteousness and wisdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joseh can be found in the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who lived in the first century AD. Josephus was born as Yosef ben Matityahu and later adopted the Roman name Josephus.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Joseh or its variants. One of the most famous was Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ in Christian tradition. He is venerated as the patron saint of workers and families.
Another significant figure was Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Jewish follower of Jesus who provided the tomb for Christ's burial. He is mentioned in all four Gospels of the New Testament.
In the Islamic tradition, the prophet Yusuf (Joseph) is revered as a significant figure and is the subject of an entire chapter in the Quran, known as Surah Yusuf. This chapter recounts the story of Joseph's life and his trials and tribulations.
During the Middle Ages, several rulers and religious figures bore the name Joseh or Joseph. One notable example is Joseph ben Meir ibn Migash, a renowned 11th-century Spanish Jewish philosopher and theologian.
In more recent times, notable individuals with the name Joseh or Joseph include Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), the leader of the Soviet Union, and Joseph Beuys (1921-1986), a influential German artist and theorist.
People
Joseh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joseh 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
Joseh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joseh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 134 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joseh 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 2,557,868 US residents.
Is Joseh a common name?
We classify Joseh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 143 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joseh most popular?
The single biggest year for Joseh was 1986, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joseh is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joseh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Joseh in the SSA data are male. 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.