Girl's name
Josephine
Say it JOH-suh-feen
French origin from Joseph, (God) shall add
3 syllables
Where Josephine is loved, common and rare
Common across France, Ontario and British Columbia. Rare in Austria, five German cities, the Netherlands and ten more places.
1 in 911 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
France 88thOntario 89thBritish Columbia 98th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 20 of the 40 official lists, among them France (88th), Ontario (89th) and British Columbia (98th).
Show all 20 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| France as Joséphine | 88th 2025 | 575 | 1 in 499 |
| Ontario province | 89th 2024 | 111 | about 1 in 491 |
| British Columbia province | 98th 2023 | 29 | about 1 in 412 |
| Austria | 105th 2025 | 64 | 1 in 558 |
| Munich city | 111th 2025 | 11 | about 1 in 381 |
| Cologne city | 112th 2023 | 11 | about 1 in 558 |
| The Netherlands | 138th 2025 | 109 | about 1 in 560 |
| Quebec province | 147th 2025 | 37 | about 1 in 703 |
| Berlin city | 148th 2023 | 24 | about 1 in 604 |
| Northern Ireland | 205th 2025 | 8 | 1 in 911 |
| Norway | 237th 2025 | 17 | 1 in 1,282 |
| England and Wales | 256th 2025 | 182 | 1 in 1,392 |
| Poland | 381st 2025 | 8 | 1 in 14,974 |
| Switzerland as Joséphine | 387th 2025 | 31 | 1 in 1,097 |
| Scotland | 387th 2025 | 8 | 1 in 2,236 |
| Ireland | 483rd 2025 | 7 | 1 in 3,018 |
| Sweden | 558th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 4,017 |
| Italy | 560th 2024 | 21 | 1 in 8,532 |
| Bonn city | 119th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 603 |
| Leipzig city | 212th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,312 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Josephine comes from French Joséphine, a diminutive of Josèphe, the feminine of Joseph. So it carries the meaning of the Hebrew name Joseph: '(God) shall add'. It was popularised in English by Josephine Bonaparte, empress of Napoleonic France.
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Three syllables, said JOH-suh-feen, with the stress at the front. Jo is the obvious short form. Joséphine is the French spelling, and Josefine, Josefina and Josepha are relatives used elsewhere.
It is used across about twenty regions, with its best English-speaking positions in Ontario and British Columbia, both inside the top 100. It is also well used in France, Austria and the Netherlands. French records show it at its height in the 1920s, so this is a vintage name that has come back into steady use.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- JOH-suh-feen, 3 syllables
- Meaning
- from Joseph,
(God) shall add
- Origin
- French
- Other spellings
- Josefine
- Jozefina
- Josèphe
- Jo
- Josefa
- Josefien
- Josepha
- Josefin
- Josefina
- Josephina
- Josefiina
- Jósefína
- Iosephina
- Jozefinë
Counted together here: Joséphine.
Etymology
From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph. By surface analysis, Joseph + -ine. Popularized in English by Josephine Bonaparte, the empress of Napoleonic France.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 3 of 18 regions, falling in 4.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 253 | 245 | 252 | 269 | 267 | 272 | 275 | 264 | 267 | 256 |
| Scotland | 413 | 369 | 376 | 343 | 370 | 304 | 470 | 395 | 295 | 387 |
| Northern Ireland | 353 | 355 | 205 | |||||||
| Ireland | 661 | 430 | 734 | 716 | 444 | 661 | 502 | 445 | 441 | 483 |
| Ontario | 121 | 141 | 101 | 107 | 98 | 85 | 115 | 95 | 89 | |
| British Columbia | 129 | 121 | 68 | 66 | 75 | 71 | 87 | 98 | ||
| New South Wales | 97 | |||||||||
| Quebec | 320 | 272 | 210 | 241 | 246 | 179 | 183 | 205 | 246 | 147 |
| France | 128 | 120 | 110 | 105 | 103 | 99 | 93 | 105 | 96 | 88 |
| The Netherlands | 137 | 148 | 155 | 195 | 179 | 175 | 177 | 136 | 138 | |
| Austria | 186 | 156 | 124 | 153 | 110 | 121 | 97 | 134 | 120 | 105 |
| Switzerland | 238 | 271 | 248 | 218 | 319 | 245 | 287 | 372 | 280 | 387 |
| Berlin | 56 | 67 | 91 | 104 | 132 | 117 | 149 | 148 | ||
| Munich | 66 | 63 | 66 | 69 | 80 | 49 | 67 | 89 | 79 | 111 |
| Cologne | 56 | 60 | 67 | 154 | 121 | 88 | 120 | 112 | ||
| Bonn | 59 | 222 | 134 | 50 | 78 | 98 | 70 | 96 | 98 | 119 |
| Leipzig | 85 | 85 | 189 | 63 | 191 | 405 | 186 | 215 | 222 | 212 |
| Rostock | 105 | 86 | 134 | 97 | 102 | 82 | 174 | |||
| Norway | 251 | 257 | 326 | 310 | 248 | 385 | 233 | 274 | 289 | 237 |
| Sweden | 351 | 307 | 388 | 413 | 548 | 437 | 501 | 717 | 604 | 558 |
| Italy | 443 | 501 | 494 | 468 | 560 | |||||
| Poland | 400 | 603 | 388 | 766 | 721 | 435 | 381 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 256 | 182 | 71.9 |
| 2024 | 267 | 180 | 69.8 |
| 2023 | 264 | 170 | 66.3 |
| 2022 | 275 | 165 | 62.6 |
| 2021 | 272 | 175 | 63.9 |
| 2020 | 267 | 178 | 66.3 |
| 2019 | 269 | 179 | 63.9 |
| 2018 | 252 | 193 | 67.0 |
| 2017 | 245 | 205 | 68.5 |
| 2016 | 253 | 201 | 65.4 |
| 2015 | 238 | 208 | 67.5 |
| 2014 | 271 | 176 | 57.4 |
| 2013 | 257 | 187 | 60.6 |
| 2012 | 235 | 212 | 65.8 |
| 2011 | 261 | 186 | 57.9 |
| 2010 | 308 | 154 | 48.0 |
| 2009 | 260 | 184 | 58.7 |
| 2008 | 265 | 183 | 58.0 |
| 2007 | 249 | 200 | 65.3 |
| 2006 | 230 | 205 | 68.5 |
| 2005 | 210 | 226 | 78.4 |
| 2004 | 218 | 208 | 72.8 |
| 2003 | 227 | 203 | 72.8 |
| 2002 | 196 | 218 | 81.5 |
| 2001 | 194 | 213 | 79.5 |
| 2000 | 176 | 245 | 89.7 |
| 1999 | 171 | 263 | 93.4 |
| 1998 | 180 | 241 | 83.3 |
| 1997 | 168 | 269 | 91.8 |
| 1996 | 171 | 262 | 88.5 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Josephine in France since 1925 were born in or after 1961. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1925, at 498.9 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Josephine per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 1925 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Josephine
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 5,964 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Elise.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 632 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 649 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 405 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Josephine.
Middle names for Josephine
1 in 71 in Scotland
Josephine Olivia
3-4 beats · initials JO
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Josephine Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials JC
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Josephine Sophie
3-2 beats · initials JS
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Josephine Grace
3-1 beats · initials JG
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Josephine Anna
3-2 beats · initials JA
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Josephine Emma
3-2 beats · initials JE
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Josephine Alice
3-2 beats · initials JA
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Josephine Amelia
3-4 beats · initials JA
Changes the beat after Josephine: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Josephine
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,056 in Ireland
96% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 405 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
95% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,988 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 1,278 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 898 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
1 in 197 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Josephine across countries and decades.
Famous people named Josephine
Josephine Baker, Joséphine de Beauharnais, Josephine Hull, Josephine Bakhita, Josephine Butler, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Josephine Cochrane and Josephine Langford.
Show all 8Show less
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American-born French dancer, singer and actress (1906–1975)
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Empress consort of the French from 1804 to 1814 (1763-1814)
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American stage and film actress (1877-1957)
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Sudanese saint and former slave 1868 to 1947
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British feminist and social reformer fighting to end child prostitution (1828–1906)
-
Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859 1807 to 1876
-
American inventor (1839–1913)
-
Australian actress born 1997
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Josephine
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Josephine?
Her best rank is No. 88 in France in 2025, about 1 in 499 girls. She is in the published lists of 20 of our 40 regions.
What does Josephine mean?
Josephine takes her meaning from Joseph: "(God) shall add", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Josephine?
JOH-suh-feen, with 3 syllables.
Is Josephine getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 3 of 18 regions, falling in 4.
Which sister names go with Josephine?
The deck's top five sisters for Josephine: Claire, Gabrielle, Elisabeth, Diana and Beatrice. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.