Josephine: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Girl name origins & meanings

Hebrew : He shall add
Hebrew : He shall increase; a feminine version of Joseph

What does Josephine mean and stand for?

The name Josephine is of Hebrew origin and means "Jehovah increases" or "He shall increase." It is the feminine version of Joseph, which is a variation of the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning “Jehovah increases.”

Syllables: 3

Girl name variations

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Linda Hamilton

Vera Wang

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Josephine is only recently popular, breaking the top 100 in 2018. It has been increasingly popular since.

However, it is the 9th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Josephine was at its peak popularity in August 2020.

Josephine was the name of Napolean Bonaparte's wife, Empress Joséphine du Beauharnais, who was born Marie-Josephe-Rose. Josephine has been popular in literature (along with nickname variations): Josephines in literature and recent pop culture are known by their nicknames—the admirably headstrong Jo in Little Women, Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek, Josephine in Some Like it Hot, and Josie of Josie and the Pussycats. Josephine Bell, Josephine Baker, Josephine Cox, Josephine Foster, and Josephine Preston Peabody are all namesakes.