Josephine
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Josephine
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, Napoleon 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.
Josephine is also given to boys.
Pronounced JO-suh-feen.
As of October 2026, Josephine ranked #53 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #21 in 1916, Nameberry popularity #46.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #147 | 2,286 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #131 | 2,505 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #114 | 2,797 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #107 | 2,822 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #91 | 3,048 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #89 | 3,122 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #87 | 3,057 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #72 | 3,389 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #70 | 3,263 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #64 | 3,366 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #56 | 3,746 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #53 | 4,126 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Josephine.
Josephine on lists
Famous Josephines
- Josephine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie)Girl
Empress of France, wife of Napoleon
- Josephine of LeuchtenbergGirl
Queen of Sweden and Norway
- JoséphineGirl
Charlotte Stéphanie Ingeborg Elisabeth Marie,José Marguerite Astrid, Princess of Belgium; Grand Duchess consort of Jean of Luxembourg
- Josephine Friederike LuiseGirl
Princess of Baden; Princess of Hohenzollern
- Joséphine Caroline Marie AlbertineGirl
Princess of Belgium
- (Marie) Joséphine ThérèseGirl
Princess of Lorraine; Princess of Carignan
- Josephine Elizabeth ButlerGirl
English feminist and reformer
- Josephine FosterGirl
American folk singer
- Josephine Clara GoldmarkGirl
American reformer
- (Freda) Josephine BakerGirl
American singer/dancer/actress
- Joséphine Marie Stéphanie VictoireGirl
Princess of Belgium; twin of sister Henriette Marie Charlotte Antoinette; daughter of Princes Philippe of Flanders
- Josephine TeyGirl
pen name of Scottish novelist Elizabeth Mackintosh
- Josephine SiaoGirl
Hong Kong actress
- Josephine St. Pierre RuffinGirl
American journalist
- Josephine Preston PeabodyGirl
American writer
- Josephine SkriverGirl
Danish model
- Josephine "Josie" GriffithsGirl
English actress
- Josephine TomicGirl
Australian cyclist
- Josephine "Josie" Cohan NibloGirl
American actress
- Josephine Archer Cameron (b. 1993)Girl
daughter of director James Cameron and actress Linda Hamilton
- Josephine Colette Almond (b. 2006)Girl
Daughter of author Steve Almond
- Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda (b. 2011)Girl
Princess of Denmark; Countess of Monpezat; daughter of Crown Prince Frederik; twin of brother Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander
- Josephine Elizabeth WeilGirl
Adelstein (b. 2011), daughter of actress Liza Weil and Paul Adelstein
- Josephine Kate Gavigan (b. 2016)Girl
daughter of actress Jessica Capshaw
- Joséphine JobertGirl
French actress and singer
- Josephine LangfordGirl
Australian actress
Josephine in pop culture
- Josephine "Jo" MarchGirl
character in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women"
- Josephine "Josie" McCoyGirl
character in the "Josie and the Pussycats" series, the Archie comics, and the TV show Riverdale
- Josephine "Joey" PotterGirl
character on TV's "Dawson's Creek"
- Josephine LaRueGirl
character on TV's "The Originals"
- Dr. Josephine "Jo" WilsonGirl
character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
- Josephine "Josie" AlibrandiGirl
character in Melina Marchetta's "Looking for Alibrandi"
- Josephine BarryGirl
character in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
- Josephine MuscatGirl
character in Joanne Harris' "Chocolat"
- Aunt Josephine AnwhistleGirl
character from Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
- Grandma JosephineGirl
character in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
- Josephine "Josie" CormierGirl
character in "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult
- Josephine "Josie" GriffinGirl
character in "Josie Griffin is Not a Vampire" by Heather Swain
- Josephine "Josie" JonesGirl
character on British TV series "Fresh Meat"
- Josephine BellGirl
character in "The House Girl" by Tara Conklin
- Josephine Cherette MontilyetGirl
a major character in the video game "Dragon Age: Inquisition"
- Josephine DelamarreGirl
main character on French TV's "Joséphine, ange gardien"
- Josephine "Josie" SheridanGirl
character in Erin McCahan's "Love and Other Foreign Words"
- "Come Josephine in My Flying MachineGirl
" 1911 popular song written by Fred Fisher and Alfred Bryan
- "JosephineGirl
" song by Brandi Carlile
- "JosephineGirl
" song by Stefie Shock
- Josephine "JosieGirl
" Abaddon's vessel on "Supernatural"
- Josephine "Joey" MullenGirl
character in "Watching you" a novel by Lisa Jewell
- Josephine "Jo" ChambersGirl
main character in series "A Girl Named Jo"
Variations & nicknames
More nicknames
- JoGirl
- JosieGirl
- SephGirl
- SephieGirl
- JoseyGirl
- JoeyGirl
- JoieGirl
- PoseyGirl
- PosieGirl
- PosyGirl
- FeeneyGirl
- FifiGirl
- FifineGirl
- FinaGirl
- FinettaGirl
- FinetteGirl
- JoetteGirl
- JojoGirl
- JolineGirl
- JosanaGirl
- JosannaGirl
- JosanneGirl
- JosebeGirl
- JoseeGirl
- JosefaGirl
- JosefenaGirl
- JosefeneGirl
- JosephaGirl
- JosepheGirl
- JosepheneGirl
- JosephinaGirl
- JosephynaGirl
- JosephyneGirl
- JosettaGirl
- JosetteGirl
- JosianeGirl
- JosiannaGirl
- JosianneGirl
- JosyGirl
- JozsaGirl
- YosebeGirl
- YosephaGirl
- YosephinaGirl