🔥Josephine

French feminine variation of Joseph
"Jehovah increases"

Josephine Origin and Meaning

The name Josephine is a girl's name of French origin meaning "Jehovah increases".

Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing number of vivacious nicknames, from Jo to Josie to Fifi to Posy, Josephine is a Nameberry favorite.

Josephine is the feminine form of Joseph, a name ultimately derived from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning "Jehovah increases." In French it has an accent over the first E, which was omitted in the English, German, and Dutch translations of the name. Empress Joséphine du Beauharnais was born Marie-Josephe-Rose, but called Josephine by her husband, Napolean Bonaparte.

Josephine Baker (born Freda), the American-French singer, dancer, and civil rights activist, is a potential namesake.

Some of the Josephines in literature and recent pop culture are known by their nicknames—the admirably headstrong Jo in Little Women, Joey Potter (played by Katie Holmes) in Dawson's Creek, and Josie of Josie and the Pussycats. In Some Like it Hot, Josephine was the nom de femme of Tony Curtis.

Josephines have been the subjects of countless songs, performed by artists ranging from Fats Domino to Tori Amos to the Black Crowes.

# 64 in the US

Josephine Rank in US Top 1000

# 46 on Nameberry

Josephine Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Josephine Popularity

Famous People Named Josephine

  • Josephine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie)
    Empress of France, wife of Napoleon
  • Josephine of Leuchtenberg
    Queen of Sweden and Norway
  • Joséphine
    Charlotte Stéphanie Ingeborg Elisabeth Marie,José Marguerite Astrid, Princess of Belgium; Grand Duchess consort of Jean of Luxembourg
  • Josephine Friederike Luise
    Princess of Baden; Princess of Hohenzollern
  • Joséphine Caroline Marie Albertine
    Princess of Belgium
  • (Marie) Joséphine Thérèse
    Princess of Lorraine; Princess of Carignan
  • Josephine Elizabeth Butler
    English feminist and reformer
  • Josephine Foster
    American folk singer
  • Josephine Clara Goldmark
    American reformer
  • (Freda) Josephine Baker
    American singer/dancer/actress
  • Joséphine Marie Stéphanie Victoire
    Princess of Belgium; twin of sister Henriette Marie Charlotte Antoinette; daughter of Princes Philippe of Flanders
  • Josephine Tey
    pen name of Scottish novelist Elizabeth Mackintosh
  • Josephine Siao
    Hong Kong actress
  • Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin
    American journalist
  • Josephine Preston Peabody
    American writer
  • Josephine Skriver
    Danish model
  • Josephine "Josie" Griffiths
    English actress
  • Josephine Tomic
    Australian cyclist
  • Josephine "Josie" Cohan Niblo
    American actress
  • Josephine Archer Cameron (b. 1993)
    daughter of director James Cameron and actress Linda Hamilton
  • Josephine Colette Almond (b. 2006)
    Daughter of author Steve Almond
  • Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda (b. 2011)
    Princess of Denmark; Countess of Monpezat; daughter of Crown Prince Frederik; twin of brother Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander
  • Josephine Elizabeth Weil
    Adelstein (b. 2011), daughter of actress Liza Weil and Paul Adelstein
  • Josephine Kate Gavigan (b. 2016)
    daughter of actress Jessica Capshaw
  • Joséphine Jobert
    French actress and singer
  • Josephine Langford
    Australian actress

Josephine in Pop Culture

  • Josephine "Jo" March
    character in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women"
  • Josephine "Josie" McCoy
    character in the "Josie and the Pussycats" series, the Archie comics, and the TV show Riverdale
  • Josephine "Joey" Potter
    character on TV's "Dawson's Creek"
  • Josephine LaRue
    character on TV's "The Originals"
  • Dr. Josephine "Jo" Wilson
    character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
  • Josephine "Josie" Alibrandi
    character in Melina Marchetta's "Looking for Alibrandi"
  • Josephine Barry
    character in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
  • Josephine Muscat
    character in Joanne Harris' "Chocolat"
  • Aunt Josephine Anwhistle
    character from Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
  • Grandma Josephine
    character in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
  • Josephine "Josie" Cormier
    character in "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult
  • Josephine "Josie" Griffin
    character in "Josie Griffin is Not a Vampire" by Heather Swain
  • Josephine "Josie" Jones
    character on British TV series "Fresh Meat"
  • Josephine Bell
    character in "The House Girl" by Tara Conklin
  • Josephine Cherette Montilyet
    a major character in the video game "Dragon Age: Inquisition"
  • Josephine Delamarre
    main character on French TV's "Joséphine, ange gardien"
  • Josephine "Josie" Sheridan
    character in Erin McCahan's "Love and Other Foreign Words"
  • "Come Josephine in My Flying Machine
    " 1911 popular song written by Fred Fisher and Alfred Bryan
  • "Josephine
    " song by Brandi Carlile
  • "Josephine
    " song by Stefie Shock
  • Josephine "Josie
    " Abaddon's vessel on "Supernatural"
  • Josephine "Joey" Mullen
    character in "Watching you" a novel by Lisa Jewell