Josten
A masculine name of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from the Old Norse word "jostr" meaning "hearth" or "fireside".
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Josten. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josten today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josten births was 2004 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josten. 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
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
2004
16 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,419
Tracked since 1984
Census
Josten in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 280 people with the first name Josten, which placed it at #30,870 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,870
National first-name rank
People counted
280
280 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
41.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Josten
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Josten is White at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.5%) and Black (21.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Josten described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Josten at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.8% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino22.5% · 63
- Black or African American21.1% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 24
- Two or more races3.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 7
Popularity
Josten: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josten from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 106 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Josten remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josten 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 Josten during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jostens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Josten
The given name Josten is believed to have originated from the Germanic language family, specifically from Old Norse or Old German roots. It is thought to be derived from the word "Jost," which means "just" or "fair," combined with the suffix "-en," indicating a diminutive form or a term of endearment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josten can be found in various historical records and documents from the Middle Ages, particularly in regions of present-day Germany and Scandinavia. It is speculated that the name may have been used as a nickname or a shortened form of longer names such as Justinus or Justus, which were popular among early Christians and derived from the Latin word "justus," meaning "just" or "righteous."
During the High Middle Ages, the name Josten appeared in various medieval chronicles and records, often associated with individuals from noble or influential families. One notable example is Josten von Erbach, a German knight who lived in the 13th century and was known for his participation in the Crusades.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Josten" or "Joosten." One of the most famous individuals with this name was Josten de Soete, a Dutch painter and engraver who lived from around 1547 to 1611. His works, which included portraits and religious scenes, are considered important examples of Dutch Renaissance art.
Another notable figure with the name Josten was Josten Burrichter, a German clockmaker and inventor who lived from 1528 to 1608. He is credited with creating one of the earliest known portable clocks, which helped revolutionize timekeeping and navigation during the Age of Exploration.
In the 19th century, the name Josten was relatively uncommon but still found usage in various parts of Europe. One example is Josten Sverdrup, a Norwegian explorer and scientist who lived from 1854 to 1930. He was part of several Arctic expeditions and made significant contributions to the exploration of the North Pole region.
While the name Josten has not been as widely popular as some other names, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in Germanic and Scandinavian cultures. Its origins and meaning have remained tied to concepts of fairness, justice, and righteousness, reflecting the values and ideals of the societies in which it was used.
People
Josten + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josten 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
Josten: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josten?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josten 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Josten a common name?
We classify Josten as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 279 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josten most popular?
The single biggest year for Josten was 2004, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josten is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Josten in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 280 people with the name Josten, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,870 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Josten in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Josten?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Josten leans strongly male. 254 people counted with this name were male (91.4%), compared with 24 female bearers (8.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Josten?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Josten is White at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.5%) and Black (21.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Josten most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Josten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.8% (117 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Josten in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josten a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josten 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 Josten still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josten 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 Josten 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.
How many people have the name Josten?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Josten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.