Josjeph
A masculine name of Hebrew origin signifying "he will add".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Josjeph. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josjeph today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josjeph births was 1985 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josjeph. 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 Josjeph. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1985
5 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1985 SSA rank
#7,051
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Josjeph: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Josjeph 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 Josjeph during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Josjeph
The name Josjeph is derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "he will increase." It is a biblical name that first appears in the Book of Genesis, where Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob and Rachel.
The name Josjeph emerged as a variant spelling during the Middle Ages in Europe, particularly in England and France. It is believed that the addition of the letter "j" was influenced by the French language, where the "j" was pronounced as a soft "zh" sound.
In the Bible, Joseph was a prominent figure known for his ability to interpret dreams and his rise to power in ancient Egypt. He was sold into slavery by his brothers but eventually became the second-in-command to Pharaoh, saving Egypt from famine through his wisdom and foresight.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josjeph can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript from 1086 that recorded land ownership in England during the reign of William the Conqueror. Here, the name appears as "Ioseph."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Josjeph. One of the most famous was Joseph of Arimathea (c. 1st century AD), a wealthy Jewish follower of Jesus who provided his own tomb for Jesus' burial after the crucifixion.
Another historical figure was Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609), a French scholar and one of the most celebrated scholars of the Renaissance. He made significant contributions to the fields of chronology, linguistics, and textual criticism.
In the realm of literature, Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a Polish-British novelist and a master of the English language, known for works such as "Heart of Darkness" and "Lord Jim."
The name Josjeph was also borne by Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), an English chemist and philosopher who is credited with discovering oxygen and contributing to the development of the modern scientific method.
Finally, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period, renowned for his instrumental works, including symphonies, string quartets, and piano sonatas, which significantly influenced the development of Western classical music.
People
Josjeph + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josjeph 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
Josjeph: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josjeph?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josjeph 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Josjeph a common name?
We classify Josjeph as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josjeph most popular?
The single biggest year for Josjeph was 1985, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josjeph is about 39 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 Josjeph in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josjeph a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josjeph 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 Josjeph still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josjeph 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 Josjeph 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 have the name Josjeph?
See how many people share the name Josjeph on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.