Find out how popular the last name Josaphat is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Josaphat.

Josaphat, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Josaphat surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Josaphat in America

Josaphat is the 75799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Josaphat surname appeared 254 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Josaphat.

We can also compare 2010 data for Josaphat to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Josaphat

The surname Josaphat has its origins in medieval France, dating back to the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Biblical name Josaphat, a variant of the Hebrew name Jehoshaphat, meaning "Jehovah has judged." This name was popularized by the story of the Apocryphal Book of Josaphat, a Christian adaptation of the Buddha's life.

Josaphat was initially a given name, but over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname in certain regions of France. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in historical records from Normandy and the surrounding areas, where it was often spelled as "Josaphat" or "Josafat."

One notable historical reference to the name Josaphat can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named "Josaphat" in the county of Surrey, England, suggesting that the name had already spread beyond France by that time.

In the 13th century, a Cistercian monk named Josaphat Caraccioli (1155-1238) achieved significant renown for his piety and was later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. His life and works helped to further spread the name across Europe.

Another notable individual with the surname Josaphat was Jean-Baptiste Josaphat (1575-1628), a French mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the development of logarithms and the study of celestial mechanics.

During the Renaissance period, the name Josaphat gained popularity among French nobility and upper-class families. One example is Charles-Josaphat de Luzignan (1615-1675), a French nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of Provence.

In the 18th century, Jacques Josaphat Montagne (1716-1788) was a prominent French architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Château de Versailles and the Église Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

Throughout history, the surname Josaphat has also appeared in various place names and locations, such as the town of Josaphat in Brittany, France, and the Josaphat Valley in Jerusalem, which is mentioned in the Bible.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Josaphat

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Josaphat.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Josaphat was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Josaphat has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Josaphat was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Josaphat, please contact us.

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