Chief Joseph
There are approximately 1 people named Chief Joseph living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Chief with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Joseph. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Chief
325
Alive today
Named Joseph
117K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 325
Rarity: Very Rare
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2020
Average age: 8
Estimated bearers: 117K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #313
Per 100K: 34.23
Top ancestry: Black (54.2%)
First name trend
Chief: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Chief. The peak year was 2020 with 34 births. The average person named Chief today is 8 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Joseph surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Joseph, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 54.2%.
- Black or African American54.2%
- White29.6%
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.8%
- Hispanic or Latino3.0%
- Two or more races2.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Chief has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0001% of the US population, based on 325 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Joseph appears at a rate of 34.23 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0342%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Chief Joseph. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Joseph
FAQ
Chief Joseph: questions and answers
How many people are named Chief Joseph?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Chief Joseph. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0001%) with the surname frequency (34.23 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Chief Joseph?
We classify Chief Joseph as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Chief a male or female name?
Chief is predominantly male. Out of 332 total SSA registrations, 100.0% were male and 0.0% were female. See the full Chief profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.