Joseph
Hebrew Yosef, he will add or may he add. Genesis gives it to Jacob's son who is sold into Egypt and rises to govern it.
Joseph in 2025
Joseph was given to 7,315 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 42nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 453 babies born.
The history of Joseph
Joseph reached its highest point in 1956, when 32,832 babies were given the name, ranking 19th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 7th, in 1914.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 2,680,213 babies have been named Joseph. Half of them were born before 1963, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Joseph by decade
| Decade | Babies named Joseph | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 26,404 | 8 |
| 1890s | 29,187 | 14 |
| 1900s | 35,346 | 14 |
| 1910s | 179,927 | 7 |
| 1920s | 245,187 | 11 |
| 1930s | 181,452 | 12 |
| 1940s | 230,953 | 19 |
| 1950s | 300,765 | 19 |
| 1960s | 284,271 | 14 |
| 1970s | 246,336 | 12 |
| 1980s | 301,405 | 14 |
| 1990s | 261,388 | 10 |
| 2000s | 195,325 | 8 |
| 2010s | 115,878 | 27 |
| 2020s | 46,389 | 37 |
Where Joseph is heading
Joseph has fallen 37% over the past decade, from 11,543 babies in 2015 to 7,315 in 2025.
Names like Joseph
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Joseph.