Meaning of the nameJosé
- Male
- Hebrew origin
- Jo-sé
- Biblical name
José is a masculine name of Hebrew origin, coming from Yosef, which means 'he will add', and it is also the name of figures in the Old and New Testaments.
- People (2022)
- 5,164,752
- Rank in Brazil
- #2
- Median age
- 53 years
- 2010 Census
- 5,754,529
- people
José in the 2022 Census
People with the first name José, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1960s (1,130,069 people).
22,930 women 5,141,822 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name José is most common
States with the highest share of people named José in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Alagoas 7.140%
- Sergipe 6.205%
- Paraíba 5.325%
- Pernambuco 5.124%
- Ceará 4.563%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 930,906 | 2.096% |
| Minas Gerais | 530,070 | 2.581% |
| Pernambuco | 464,161 | 5.124% |
| Ceará | 401,348 | 4.563% |
| Bahia | 363,067 | 2.567% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 251,572 | 1.567% |
| Alagoas | 223,323 | 7.140% |
| Maranhão | 220,846 | 3.259% |
| Paraíba | 211,665 | 5.325% |
| Paraná | 201,959 | 1.765% |
| Pará | 182,557 | 2.248% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 139,736 | 4.231% |
| Goiás | 138,648 | 1.965% |
| Sergipe | 137,132 | 6.205% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 125,871 | 1.157% |
| Piauí | 115,668 | 3.536% |
| Santa Catarina | 93,859 | 1.233% |
| Mato Grosso | 72,907 | 1.993% |
| Espírito Santo | 71,800 | 1.873% |
| Amazonas | 69,575 | 1.765% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 50,763 | 1.841% |
| Distrito Federal | 47,649 | 1.691% |
| Tocantins | 34,276 | 2.268% |
| Rondônia | 32,421 | 2.050% |
| Acre | 25,234 | 3.040% |
| Amapá | 15,035 | 2.049% |
| Roraima | 12,704 | 1.995% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name José
Wiktionary traces José from Old Portuguese Josep, through Latin Iōsēphus and Greek Ἰωσήφ, to Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yosef), which the entry Joseph glosses as '(God) will add'. Behind the Name gives the meaning 'he will add', linked to the Hebrew root yasaf, 'to add, to increase'. In the Old Testament, José is the son of Jacob; in the New, the husband of Maria. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 5,164,752 people named José, the second most common name in the country. Wiktionary gives the diminutive Zé and lists Josefa among the related names.
Sources
- Wiktionary: José · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- Wiktionary: Joseph · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- Behind the Name: Joseph · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: Jose · behindthename.com · spelling
Questions about the name José
What does the name José mean?
José means “he will add”, according to Wiktionary and Behind the Name.
How many people are named José in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 5,164,752 people with the first name José, which ranks it number 2 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1960s.
Is José a boy's or a girl's name?
José is a male name: in the 2022 Census, 22,930 women and 5,141,822 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name José?
José is a name of Hebrew origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is José most common?
Proportionally, in Alagoas: 7.140% of the state's population is named José (223,323 people), according to the 2022 Census.
More names of Hebrew origin
See all- João♂God is gracious3,430,608 people
- Gabriel♂God is my strong man1,211,227 people
- Davi♂Beloved, dear876,593 people
- Rafael♂God has healed873,321 people
- Daniel♂God is my judge770,743 people
- Miguel♂Who is like God?715,241 people
- Samuel♂Name of God522,131 people
- Manoel♂Variant of Manuel, a shortened form of Emanuel, 'God is with us'478,590 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for José with a source. See the methodology.