2000
#7,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Josey
Derived from the given name Joseph or an Old French word meaning "joy," originally indicating the son of Joseph.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,533 Americans carry the last name Josey. That puts it at #8,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Josey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Josey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,613
Census rank
#8,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,953 bearers of the surname Josey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Josey, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Josey
The surname Josey is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be a diminutive or pet form of the personal name Joseph, derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning "he will add" or "he will increase." The surname was likely an occupational name for someone who played the role of Joseph in medieval religious plays.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Josey can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as Joce. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Joscey, Jocie, Joscy, and Josey. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, the name is recorded as Josce, potentially indicating a connection to the place name Joscelin, a town in Normandy, France. This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Josey was John Josey, born around 1450 in Warwickshire, England. He was a yeoman farmer and landowner in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
Another notable figure was William Josey, born in 1602 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a member of the English gentry and served as a Justice of the Peace in his local community.
In the 17th century, Richard Josey, born in 1638 in Somerset, England, was a prominent merchant and trader who established business connections with the American colonies, particularly in Virginia.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Captain Thomas Josey, born in 1620 in Oxfordshire, was a Parliamentarian officer who fought against the Royalist forces of King Charles I.
In the late 18th century, Mary Josey, born in 1776 in Kent, England, gained recognition as a talented landscape painter and was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
While the surname Josey is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, from farmers and merchants to military officers and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Josey
Among Census respondents with the surname Josey, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Josey bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Josey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.2% · 2,103
- Black or African American38.0% · 1,502
- Two or more races3.7% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Josey
Josey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,131
+248 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#8,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,953
-178 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,909 | 3,883 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,006 | 4,131 | 1.40 | +248 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #8,040 | 3,953 | 1.32 | -178 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Josey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,006 | #8,040 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,131 | 3,953 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.32 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Josey bearers went from 4,131 to 3,953 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,006 to #8,040.
FAQ
Josey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Josey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,533 living Americans carry the surname Josey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,613 residents.
How common is Josey?
Josey ranks #8,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,953 people with the surname Josey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Josey.
Has Josey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Josey went from 4,131 recorded bearers to 3,953. That is a decrease of 178 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,006 to #8,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Josey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Josey, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.2%. The next largest groups are Black (38.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Josey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (2,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Josey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.2%), Black (38.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Josey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Josey mean?
Derived from the given name Joseph or an Old French word meaning "joy," originally indicating the son of Joseph. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Josey (1.32 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Josey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.