Josephyne
Feminine variation of the masculine name Joseph, of Hebrew origin meaning "He will add".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Josephyne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josephyne today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josephyne births was 2002 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josephyne. 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 Josephyne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
2002
9 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,313
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Josephyne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josephyne from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 38 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josephyne 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 Josephyne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josephynes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Josephyne
The name Josephyne has its origins in the Hebrew language and is a feminine form of the name Joseph. It dates back to ancient times, derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning "he will add" or "he will increase." The name was borne by one of the twelve sons of Jacob in the biblical book of Genesis.
In the New Testament of the Bible, Joseph was the name of the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. This association with the biblical figure contributed to the widespread popularity of the name among Christians throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josephyne can be found in the medieval period. In the 12th century, Josephyne of Polotsk (1105-1162) was a Kievan princess and the wife of Prince Izyaslav III of Vladimir-Suzdal.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Josephyne of Savoy (1516-1572), an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Duke Emanuel Philibert of Savoy. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the Duchy of Savoy during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Josephyne Bournonville (1605-1688) was a French dancer and choreographer, considered one of the most influential figures in the early development of ballet.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Josephyne Butler (1828-1906) was a prominent British feminist and social reformer, known for her campaign against the Contagious Diseases Acts and her work to promote women's rights.
Another influential figure with this name was Josephyne Herbst (1892-1969), an American novelist and journalist who was part of the literary movement known as "proletarian literature" during the Great Depression era.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Josephyne throughout history, illustrating its enduring presence across different cultures and time periods.
People
Josephyne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josephyne 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
Josephyne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josephyne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josephyne 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Josephyne a common name?
We classify Josephyne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josephyne most popular?
The single biggest year for Josephyne was 2002, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josephyne is about 17 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 Josephyne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josephyne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josephyne 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 Josephyne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josephyne 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 Josephyne 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 Americans are named Josephyne?
You can see how many people have the name Josephyne on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.