girl's name
Josiane
zho-zee-AN
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 124,228
Josiane means God will add, a French feminine built on Joseph, and its 1948 peak of 6,775 French births has left almost nothing behind — it now ranks 6905th in France. We record 123,216 lifetime births for it, strongest in France.
- Josiane is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1948, when 6,775 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1909.
Josiane over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 20 |
| 1920s | 3,400 |
| 1930s | 15,595 |
| 1940s | 42,715 |
| 1950s | 46,320 |
| 1960s | 12,995 |
| 1970s | 1,405 |
| 1980s | 285 |
| 1990s | 150 |
| 2000s | 85 |
| 2010s | 55 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 25 |
What Josiane means
Josiane means he will add, or God will add, carried from Joseph. The Hebrew is a verb — the words Rachel uses in Genesis asking God for another son.
Where Josiane comes from
Josiane is a French feminine elaboration of Joseph, from the Hebrew Yosef — he will add. Genesis gives the naming directly: Rachel names her son as a request that God add another to her, and he later does. Joseph generated an unusually large French family of feminines — Josephine, Josette, Josiane and Joelle — of which Josiane is the most distinctly mid-century. A separate Josian appears in the medieval romance Bevis of Hampton, which may have contributed the form.
Josiane in use
Josiane peaked in France in 1948, when 6,775 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in two of the seven markets we track — 6905th in France on 5 births and 14472nd in the United States on 6 — across 124,228 lifetime births. That American position is among the lowest recorded for any name we have written up.
How popular is Josiane?
In 2025, Josiane was given to 5 babies in France. It is a rare choice.
Where Josiane 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 Josiane
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Josiane also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Josiane over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Josiane
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.
Josiane 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 Josiane
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Josiane — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Josiane
What does the name Josiane mean?
God will add — carried from Joseph, the words Rachel uses in Genesis.
Is Josiane related to Josette?
Yes — both are French feminines of Joseph, formed differently.
Is there a literary Josiane?
A Josian appears in the medieval romance Bevis of Hampton, which may have contributed the form.
How popular is Josiane?
6905th in France, down from a 1948 peak of 6,775 births.
Is Josiane a girl's or a boy's name?
Josiane is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Josiane?
Josiane is usually shortened to Jo.
Is Josiane a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Josiane currently ranks #6,905 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.