girl's name
Josette
zho-ZET
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 160,770
Josette is the only faded name in this group — it peaked in France at 6,650 births in 1946 and now ranks nowhere in France at all, surviving only in the United States at 1837th.
- Josette is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1946, when 6,650 babies were given the name.
- It has largely dropped out of use in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Josette over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2010s. The striped bar is the 2010s, still in progress — it covers 2010 to 2013, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 180 |
| 1910s | 1,900 |
| 1920s | 19,540 |
| 1930s | 46,955 |
| 1940s | 51,945 |
| 1950s | 27,220 |
| 1960s | 5,420 |
| 1970s | 675 |
| 1980s | 130 |
| 1990s | 50 |
| 2000s | 15 |
| 2010s (to 2013) | 5 |
What Josette means
Josette means he will add, carried from Joseph. The Hebrew is a verb rather than a description — the words Rachel uses in Genesis asking God for another son.
Where Josette comes from
Josette is a French feminine diminutive of Joseph, from the Hebrew Yosef — he will add, or he shall increase. Genesis gives the naming scene directly: Rachel names her son as a request that God add another to her. Joseph produced an unusually large set of French feminines — Josephine, Josiane, Joelle and Josette among them — and Josette is the most compressed of them, a double diminutive in effect. The name is not related to Josiah, which is a separate Hebrew name.
Josette in use
Josette peaked in France in 1946, when 6,650 babies were registered, and is the only name in this group our data marks faded rather than falling. It has left the French rankings entirely and now charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1837th in the United States on 109 births, across 160,770 lifetime births. A French name surviving only in America, having disappeared at home, is a shape we see rarely.
How popular is Josette?
In 2013, Josette was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Josette is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Josette
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Josette also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Josette over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Josette
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Josette in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Josette
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Josette — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Josette
What does the name Josette mean?
He will add, carried from Joseph — the words Rachel uses in Genesis asking for another son.
Is Josette French?
Yes, a French feminine diminutive of Joseph — though it now ranks only in the United States.
Is Josette related to Josephine?
Yes, both are French feminines of Joseph, formed differently.
Does Josette still rank in France?
No. It has left the French rankings entirely, despite peaking there at 6,650 births in 1946.
How popular is the name Josette?
In 2013, Josette was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Josette a girl's or a boy's name?
Josette is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Josette?
Josette has 2 syllables.
When was Josette most popular?
Josette peaked in 1946, when 6,650 babies were given the name. It has largely dropped out of use.
What are the nicknames for Josette?
Josette is usually shortened to Jo.
Is Josette a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Josette currently ranks #1,837 in France. It has largely dropped out of use. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.