How Many People Are Named Jose?
An estimated 523,952 people in the United States have the first name Jose. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #81 overall. It is predominantly male (99.3%). The average bearer is 35 years old, and Jose peaked in popularity in 2002 with 12,916 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Donna (523,137).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Jose as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Jose paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Jose is overwhelmingly male, 4,220 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
523,952
About 1 in 654 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.3% confidence
Average Age
35
years old
Peak Year
2002
12,916 births
Total Registered
592,999
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Jose
Jose is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 592,999 total births registered, 99.3% were male.
Jose as a male name
Ranked #91 in 2024
3,768 male births in 2024
Peak: 2002 (12,868 births)
Jose as a female name
Ranked #14,219 in 2024
6 female births in 2024
Peak: 1990 (113 births)
Jose: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Jose span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 119,777 babies were registered. Jose has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Jose by Decade
How has Jose tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 910 | 910 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 974 | 947 | 27 | |
| 1900s | 1,642 | 1,627 | 15 | |
| 1910s | 5,968 | 5,899 | 69 | |
| 1920s | 14,658 | 14,447 | 211 | |
| 1930s | 12,506 | 12,297 | 209 | |
| 1940s | 17,011 | 16,818 | 193 | |
| 1950s | 31,730 | 31,442 | 288 | |
| 1960s | 42,434 | 42,036 | 398 | |
| 1970s | 67,112 | 66,388 | 724 | |
| 1980s | 87,484 | 86,645 | 839 | |
| 1990s | 119,777 | 119,036 | 741 | |
| 2000s | 116,104 | 115,739 | 365 | |
| 2010s | 55,277 | 55,175 | 102 | |
| 2020s | 19,412 | 19,373 | 39 | |
Jose by State
Birth registrations for Jose span all 49 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, New York. The lowest are in Montana, West Virginia, Alaska. On average, about 11,938 Joses were registered per state.
Jose + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Jose as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Jose
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
Jose: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jose?
We estimate approximately 523,952 people named Jose are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 654 Americans share this first name.
Is Jose a common name?
Jose is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 592,999 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Jose most popular?
Jose reached peak popularity in 2002, when 12,916 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Jose is approximately 35 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Jose a male name?
Jose is predominantly male. 99.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Jose Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Jose Smith, Jose Johnson, Jose Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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