FastNamesJose
Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew name meaning "Spanish and Portuguese form of Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף) meaning 'may He add' or 'God shall increase'.". Ranked 95th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Jose
Spanish and Portuguese form of Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף) meaning 'may He add' or 'God shall increase'.
Linguistically, Jose is classified under Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "hoh-ZAY".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Jose has been given to a total of 592,512 boys. It has also been given to 4,220 girls.
Peak year: Jose reached its highest relative share among boys in 2002, when 12,868 babies received the name (6,628 per million births).
All-time best rank: 28th place, first achieved in 2004.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 95th with 3,678 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 80th (down 15 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Jose in the 1990s than in any other decade (119,042 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 910 |
| 1890s | 947 |
| 1900s | 1,627 |
| 1910s | 5,899 |
| 1920s | 14,447 |
| 1930s | 12,298 |
| 1940s | 16,818 |
| 1950s | 31,440 |
| 1960s | 42,043 |
| 1970s | 66,390 |
| 1980s | 86,647 |
| 1990s | 119,042 |
| 2000s | 115,743 |
| 2010s | 55,186 |
| 2020s | 23,075 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Jose is most common in the US
Accounting for when Jose was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- New Mexico: 3.5 times the national rate (12,318 births since 1910).
- Texas: 3.4 times the national rate (170,769 births since 1910).
- California: 2.4 times the national rate (167,241 births since 1910).
- Arizona: 2.4 times the national rate (22,202 births since 1910).
- Nevada: 1.4 times the national rate (3,815 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Jose?
About 515,000 living American boys and men share the name Jose. Additionally, an estimated 3,500 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Jose is 32 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Jose
Jose (traditionally accented as José in Spanish and Portuguese orthography) is the Iberian Romance evolution of the biblical Hebrew personal name Yosef ('may Yahweh add' or 'increase'). In the Christian tradition, Saint Joseph was the husband of the Virgin Mary and earthly guardian of Jesus Christ, revered for his humility, carpenter craft, and protective devotion.
José became one of the most pervasive male personal names across Spain, Portugal, and their worldwide colonies from the sixteenth century forward, frequently paired in compound names honoring Mary (José María, María José). In early American borderlands across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, José was established centuries before American statehood.
In United States demographic records, Jose has consistently ranked as one of the most popular boy names in the nation for over half a century. Entering the national top fifty in 1974, it remained in the top forty for thirty-five consecutive years, peaking at rank 28 in 2004 with over 13,000 newborn boys per year, serving as a pillar of Hispanic American cultural identity.
Notable people named Jose
- José Martí (1853–1895), Cuban poet, philosopher, essayist, and national hero
- José Carreras (1946–), Spanish operatic tenor and Three Tenors member
- José Altuve (1990–), Venezuelan MLB second baseman and MVP
- José Mourinho (1963–), Portuguese professional football manager
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 145.
- Roberto Faure, María Asunción Ribas, Antonio García. Diccionario de apellidos españoles (2001), p. 433.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.