Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Josef?
Births per year, rank history and how many Josefs are alive today.
Josef (male) is a rare spelling of the boys' name Joseph in England and Wales, ranked 1798th in 2025 and given to 14 babies. This spelling of the name peaked in 1999, when 96 babies were given the name, the 283rd most popular that year. It has declined since 1999; the 2025 figure is roughly 15% of its peak. Common short forms of Josef include Joe and Joey.
Across all spellings of the name, the Joseph you are most likely to meet is around 30 years old. Half of all Josephs born in England and Wales are between 22 and 54, and there are at least 220,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 52% chance that at least one of them will be called Joseph.
How many babies are named Josef each year?
Includes all spellings: Josef, Joseph. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does the Josef spelling rank?
Where does the Joseph spelling rank?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Josef most popular?
The most popular form of the name, Joseph, peaked in 1904, when around 11,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name. The Josef spelling itself peaked in 1999, with 96 babies.
How many people are called Josef?
At least 220,000 people named Josef in any spelling born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Josef?
Most living Josefs are between 22 and 54; the most common age is about 30.
Is Josef becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak.