Girls · #53 in 2025
Josephine: Meaning, Origin & Popularity
- Origin
- French-derived feminine form of Joseph
- Meaning
- He will add or increase
- Pronunciation
- JOH-suh-feen
- Nickname options
- Josie, Jo, Joey, Jojo, Posey
Origin and meaning
Josephine is an English form of Joséphine, a feminine form of Joseph. The Hebrew name behind Joseph expresses adding or increasing. Its full form and its familiar short forms have developed distinct styles in everyday use.
U.S. popularity
Josephine ranked #53 for girls in the United States in 2025, with 4,126 girls given this spelling. Its highest recorded U.S. rank was #21, reached in 1916–1917. Historical coverage: 1880–2025. Peak refers to rank, not the largest number of births.
Source: Social Security Administration; historical peaks calculated from its national name files. Rankings count each spelling separately within the listed sex.
The Hello Baby Names take
Josephine feels welcoming and warm, with a long, graceful sound. Josie is easygoing, Jo is effortless, and the full name has a lovely vintage weight. It gives parents several moods within one coherent choice.
Things to consider
If Josie is your favorite part, compare using it independently with choosing Josephine. Like any name with a lot of nickname potential, consider how you feel about each of the nicknames associated, as your Josephine might come home from second grade deciding she now wants to be Josie.
If you love Josephine, consider…
- Eleanor: Offers similar substance and nickname flexibility.
- Charlotte: Keeps the established full-name feeling.
- Penelope: Adds a more playful rhythm.
- Adeline: Softens the sound into a flowing classic.
- Caroline: Feels equally tailored with a different ending.
- Elizabeth: Offers a larger family of short forms.
- Josie: Makes the friendly nickname the full name.
- Genevieve: Adds a more elaborate, romantic option.