Josephine

“He shall add or grow” — Hebrew via French origin

Girl's name · #53 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Josephine holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#53 in 2025). About 331,000 girls have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Josephine's short forms are Joey, Josie, Joie, Jozy, and Zeffie. About 2,600 girls a year are given Josie as their full name.

Around the world: #88 in France (2025) · #89 in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Josephines

Josephine Baker — American-born French dancer, singer and actress (1906–1975)
Joséphine de Beauharnais — Empress consort of the French from 1804 to 1814 (1763-1814)
Josephine Hull — American stage and film actress (1877-1957)
Josephine Bakhita — Sudanese saint and former slave
Josephine of Leuchtenberg — Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859

In stories & tradition

Josephine Balsamo — The Countess of Cagliostro · The Revenge of The Countess of Cagliostro
Josephine Rabbit — The Tale of Peter Rabbit · The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Josephine Anwhistle — A Series of Unfortunate Events · Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

What Josephines become

Among 1,028 notable people named Josephine:

Entertainers appear 1.56× more often than among typical names — e.g. Josephine Baker, American-born French dancer, singer and actress (1906–1975).

Similar names: Josie · Ruby · Catherine · Eva · Rose · Alice

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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