Josephine

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

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

Josephine has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #21 (1916) · 331,467 babies named Josephine all-time · 1 in 390 girls born in 2025.

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)
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
Josephine Butler — British feminist and social reformer fighting to end child prostitution (1828–1906)

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 907 notable people named Josephine:

Medical professionals appear 1.26× more often than among typical names — e.g. Josephine Nambooze, Ugandan physician, public health specialist, academic and medical researcher.

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