Joseph
Joseph is a male given name: 99% of people named Joseph are men, and it is recorded as male in 14 of the 14 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Malta, Belgium
- US births since 1880
- 2,603,445 male / 10,638 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Joseph
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Joseph," in English, "Guten Tag Joseph," in German. Joseph is a male given name: about 99% of people named Joseph are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Joseph,
German
Guten Tag Joseph,
French
Bonjour Joseph,
Spanish
Estimado/a Joseph:
Chinese
Joseph您好：
Japanese
Joseph様
English
Hi Joseph,
German
Hi Joseph,
French
Salut Joseph,
Spanish
Hola Joseph,
Chinese
Joseph你好：
Japanese
Josephさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Malta | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | common | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | common | man's name | 98% |
| France | common | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| India and Sri Lanka | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | rare | man's name | 98% |
Show all 14 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Frisia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
2,603,445 male · 10,638 female · 2,614,083 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joseph a male or female name?
Joseph is a male given name: 99% of people named Joseph are men, and it is recorded as male in 14 of the 14 countries covered.
How do I address Joseph in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Joseph," in English, "Guten Tag Joseph," in German. Joseph is a male given name: about 99% of people named Joseph are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Joseph a unisex name?
Joseph is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Joseph are men. Joseph leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Joseph a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/joseph (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_joseph,
title = {Is Joseph a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/joseph},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}