Josiane
A feminine French name derived from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning "God's gracious gift".
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the first name Josiane. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josiane today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josiane births was 2021 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josiane. 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
133
~ 1 in 2,577,100 Americans
Peak year
2021
41 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,222
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Josiane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josiane from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 70 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
Josiane 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 Josiane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josianes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Josiane
The name Josiane is a French feminine form of the name Joseph, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Yosef. Yosef is derived from the Hebrew verb "yasaf," meaning "to add" or "to increase." The name Joseph was borne by the son of Jacob in the biblical Book of Genesis.
Josiane emerged as a distinct feminine form of Joseph in the French language during the Middle Ages. It was likely influenced by the popularity of the name Josephine, which was the feminine form favored in Latin-speaking regions. Josiane maintained the "Jos" root but adopted the French feminine ending "-iane."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josiane can be found in the writings of the 13th-century French poet and trouvère Thibaut de Champagne. In his lyric poetry, he mentions a woman named Josiane, although it is unclear if she was a real person or a literary creation.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Josiane. One of the most famous was Josiane Serre (1926-2022), a French author and journalist who wrote extensively on topics related to feminism and women's rights. Another prominent Josiane was Josiane Balasko (born 1950), a renowned French actress, screenwriter, and director known for her work in films such as French Twist and Gazon Maudit.
In the world of classical music, Josiane Balasko (1927-2007) was a respected French soprano who performed with prestigious opera companies throughout Europe. Josiane Sert (1900-1978) was a French-born aristocrat and socialite who hosted lavish parties and hobnobbed with the cultural elite of her time.
Josiane Brodissait (1942-2004) was a prominent French feminist and activist who played a pivotal role in the women's liberation movement in France during the 1970s. She co-founded the influential feminist organization Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (MLF) and was a vocal advocate for reproductive rights and gender equality.
While the name Josiane has French origins, it has been used in various other cultures and languages over time. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its melodic sound and its association with the biblical figure Joseph, which has resonated across diverse religious and cultural traditions.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Josiane
People
Josiane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josiane 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
Josiane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josiane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 133 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josiane 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 2,577,100 US residents.
Is Josiane a common name?
We classify Josiane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.6% 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 Josiane most popular?
The single biggest year for Josiane was 2021, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josiane is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josiane a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josiane 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.