Josef
Josef is a variant of the male given name Joseph, notably used in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. The name also appears in Scandinavia. Notable people with the surname include:
Meaning & Origin of Josef
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Josef is a variant of the male given name Joseph, notably used in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. The name also appears in Scandinavia. Notable people with the surname include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Josef
Josef first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1900, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1999, when 220 Josefs were born — ranking #737 that year. As of 2026, Josef ranks #2,394 for baby boys with 59 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 9K Josefs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Josef
Phonetically similar names — useful when Josef is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Josef
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About the name Josef
Josef is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1900 and has accumulated 9K births in the dataset. Josef's peak popularity came in 1999 when it ranked #663. Use the chart and map above to compare Josef's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1999 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.