Josephine
Meaning
“Jehovah increases”
Goes by Fifi, Fina, Gigi, Jo, and 3 more
Also written Joséphine.
Famously borne by Josephine Tey, built by Elizabeth MacKintosh from her mother's first name and a great-great-grandmother's surname. Famously borne by Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Name day: February 8 in the Roman calendar of saints (Saint Josephine Bakhita).
The story
Josephine is the feminine of Joseph, Hebrew for 'he will add', and it arrived in the world's ear through one woman: Josephine de Beauharnais, crowned empress of France beside Napoleon in 1804. A century later the name was everywhere in America, a fixture of the 1890s and 1900s, the era that gave us great-aunt Jo and little Josie. It then spent two generations resting, never quite gone, before beginning one of the clearest revivals in the modern records: climbing steadily from the 2000s until, by the 2020s, both its share and its ranking stood higher than they had in a hundred years. The Church added its own bearer along the way: Josephine Bakhita, born in Darfur, sold into slavery as a child, freed in Italy, canonized in 2000 and honored each February 8. Vintage charm in front, iron underneath: that mix is the whole appeal.
Josephine around the world
One shared root links 8 names across 4 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Yosef "he will add", the dreamer with the coat
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Josephine peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
68 people · the #53,986 first name in Brazil · median age 50
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Josephine
People given the name Josephine in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 2019. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Josephine deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Josephine truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Josephine fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Josephine · Nicknames for Josephine · Middle names for Josephine · Pen names and the names writers chose · Saint names for babies and confirmation · Names of real princesses
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