Josephlee
A unisex name combining the masculine name Joseph of Hebrew origin meaning "God will increase" with the English surname Lee.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Josephlee. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josephlee today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josephlee births was 2001 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josephlee. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Josephlee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2001
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,045
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Josephlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josephlee from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 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
Josephlee 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 Josephlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josephlee
The name Josephlee is a unique combination of two distinct names, Joseph and Lee. Its origins can be traced back to the Hebrew name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "he will increase." The name Joseph was popular among the Israelites and later adopted by various cultures, including the Greeks and Romans.
The name Lee, on the other hand, has its roots in the Old English word "leah," which means a meadow or a clearing in a forest. It was originally a surname, but over time, it also became a popular first name, particularly in the English-speaking world.
While there are no direct historical references to the name Josephlee as a single entity, it is worth exploring the individuals who bore the names Joseph and Lee separately throughout history.
One of the most notable bearers of the name Joseph was Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose story is recounted in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. He was sold into slavery by his brothers but rose to become a powerful figure in ancient Egypt.
Another significant Joseph was Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, in the New Testament. He was a carpenter from Nazareth and played a crucial role in the early life of Jesus.
In more recent history, Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement and established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As for the name Lee, it has been borne by several influential figures, such as Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), a prominent Confederate general during the American Civil War, and Bruce Lee (1940-1973), the legendary martial artist and actor who popularized martial arts movies.
Other notable individuals with the name Lee include Harper Lee (1926-2016), the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," and Stan Lee (1922-2018), the iconic comic book writer and former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics.
While the combination of Joseph and Lee as Josephlee is unique, it carries the rich historical and cultural significance of its individual components, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore these names throughout history.
People
Josephlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josephlee 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
Josephlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josephlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josephlee 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Josephlee a common name?
We classify Josephlee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josephlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Josephlee was 2001, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josephlee is about 19 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 Josephlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josephlee a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josephlee 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.
Is Josephlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josephlee 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 Josephlee 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 named Josephlee?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Josephlee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.