Jostein
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from Old Norse, meaning "born from God".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Jostein. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jostein today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jostein births was 1994 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jostein. 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 Jostein. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1994
6 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,257
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Jostein: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jostein 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 Jostein during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jostein
The name Jostein is of Norwegian origin, derived from the Old Norse name Jósteinn. It is a compound name composed of the elements "jó" meaning "horse" and "steinn" meaning "stone" or "rock." The name can be interpreted to mean "horse stone" or "sturdy as a rock."
The name has its roots in the Viking Age, a period spanning from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. During this time, the Norse people inhabited Scandinavia and established settlements across Europe, including in parts of present-day Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Jostein can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of literary works that document the lives of Norse settlers in Iceland during the 9th to 11th centuries. The name appears in the Njál's Saga, which recounts the events leading up to and the aftermath of the Burning of Njáll, a significant event in Icelandic history.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jostein. One of the earliest was Jostein Erlingsson (c. 1130 - c. 1190), a Norwegian nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the civil wars that plagued Norway during the 12th century.
Another notable figure was Jostein Lie (1909 - 1994), a Norwegian mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the fields of topology and differential geometry. He is particularly renowned for his work on Lie groups and their applications in physics.
In more recent times, Jostein Gaarder (born 1952) is a Norwegian author best known for his novel "Sophie's World," a bestselling book that explores the history of philosophy. Gaarder's work has been translated into numerous languages and has gained international acclaim.
Jostein Wilmann (born 1953) is a Norwegian businessman and former politician who served as the CEO of the Norwegian oil company Statoil (now Equinor) from 1999 to 2004. He played a pivotal role in the development of Norway's energy industry.
Jostein Flo (born 1964) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He represented Norway at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was a key player for several Norwegian clubs, including Rosenborg BK, during his career.
The name Jostein has a rich historical heritage, rooted in the Viking Age and the Norse culture. While its usage has primarily been concentrated in Norway and other Scandinavian countries, the name has gained recognition worldwide through the achievements of notable individuals who have borne it throughout history.
People
Jostein + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jostein 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
Jostein: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jostein?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jostein 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Jostein a common name?
We classify Jostein as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jostein most popular?
The single biggest year for Jostein was 1994, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jostein is about 31 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 Jostein in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jostein a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jostein 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 Jostein still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jostein 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 Jostein 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 common is the name Jostein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.