girl's name
Josie
JOH-zee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 85,392
the United States
#82
2025 births
Josie is a girl's name that began as a pet form of Josephine, and so means "he will add," inherited from the Hebrew Yosef. It has been given as an independent name since the nineteenth century.
- Josie is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 3,027 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,095 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Josie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,884 |
| 1890s | 2,334 |
| 1900s | 2,118 |
| 1910s | 3,389 |
| 1920s | 4,159 |
| 1930s | 3,512 |
| 1940s | 3,404 |
| 1950s | 2,443 |
| 1960s | 2,070 |
| 1970s | 2,167 |
| 1980s | 2,640 |
| 1990s | 6,117 |
| 2000s | 10,692 |
| 2010s | 13,967 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 15,019 |
What Josie means
Josie means he will add, or God shall add, carried down from Joseph through Josephine. The sense is one of increase — Genesis presents the name as Rachel's prayer for another child.
Where Josie comes from
Josie is an English diminutive of Josephine, formed with the -ie ending that also produces Maggie, Katie and Millie. Josephine is the French feminine of Joseph, from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning he will add. Josie became widespread in nineteenth-century Britain and America, and like many Victorian pet forms it detached from its parent and has been given on its own for well over a century. It is occasionally also a short form of Jocelyn, which has an unrelated Germanic origin, though Josephine remains the usual parent. Josie returned strongly from the 1990s as part of the broad revival of vintage nicknames as full names.
How popular is Josie?
In 2025, Josie was given to 3,027 babies in the United States, ranking #82 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Josie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Josie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Josie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Josie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Josie
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.
Josie 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 Josie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Josie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Josie
What does the name Josie mean?
Josie means "he will add," inherited from Joseph through Josephine.
Is Josie short for Josephine?
It began that way, but Josie has been given as an independent name since the nineteenth century.
Is Josie a vintage name?
Yes. It was widespread in the nineteenth century and returned strongly from the 1990s.
How popular is the name Josie?
In 2025, Josie was given to 3,027 babies in the United States, ranking #82 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Josie a girl's or a boy's name?
Josie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Josie?
Josie has 2 syllables.
When was Josie most popular?
Josie peaked in 2025, when 3,027 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Josie?
Josie is usually shortened to Jos.
Is Josie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Josie currently ranks #82 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.