Oseph
A masculine name of English origin, possibly a variation of Joseph.
Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Oseph. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oseph today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oseph births was 1987 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oseph. 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 Oseph. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
64
~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans
Peak year
1987
12 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1988 SSA rank
#4,095
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Oseph: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oseph from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 55 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
Oseph 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 Oseph during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oseph
The name Oseph is believed to have originated from the ancient Hebrew language, with its roots dating back to the biblical times of the Old Testament. It is a variant spelling of the name Joseph, which is derived from the Hebrew word "Yosef," meaning "he will add" or "he will increase."
One of the earliest and most well-known references to the name Oseph can be found in the Book of Genesis, where Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, plays a significant role. He was sold into slavery by his brothers but later rose to become a powerful figure in Egypt, serving as the second-in-command to the Pharaoh.
Throughout history, the name Oseph has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Oseph ben Gorion, a Jewish historian from the 9th century AD, who authored a historical work called "Josippon."
In the 12th century, Oseph ibn Meir ibn Migash was a renowned Spanish rabbi and scholar, known for his contributions to Jewish law and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Oseph Flavius, also known as Josephus, was a Jewish-Roman historian who documented the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation in his work "The Jewish War."
In the 19th century, Oseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, is remembered for his role in the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Another notable figure was Oseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi propagandist and Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the Third Reich, who played a crucial role in shaping the Nazi regime's public image and ideology.
While the name Oseph has retained its biblical roots and significance, its usage has evolved over time, with various spellings and pronunciations emerging across different cultures and regions.
People
Oseph + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oseph as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oseph: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oseph?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oseph 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 5,355,537 US residents.
Is Oseph a common name?
We classify Oseph as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 67 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oseph most popular?
The single biggest year for Oseph was 1987, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oseph is about 43 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 Oseph in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oseph a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oseph 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 Oseph still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oseph 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 Oseph 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 Oseph?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Oseph, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.