How Many People Are Named Joss?
An estimated 670 people in the United States have the first name Joss. It is used for both genders, with 63.1% male. The average bearer is 15 years old, and Joss peaked in popularity in 2005 with 41 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Joss as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Joss paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
670
About 1 in 511,574 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
63.1% confidence
Average Age
15
years old
Peak Year
2005
41 births
Total Registered
678
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Joss
Joss is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (63.1%) and females (36.9%). Out of 678 total births registered, 428 were male and 250 were female.
Joss as a male name
Ranked #6,613 in 2024
13 male births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (27 births)
Joss as a female name
Ranked #14,227 in 2024
6 female births in 2024
Peak: 2006 (20 births)
Joss in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 760 people with the first name Joss, which placed it at #15,197 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Joss was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 760 people with this name in that snapshot, 61.7% were male and 38.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 63.1% of the time.
Census Count
760
people with this name
Census Rank
#15,197
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.25
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Joss was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.99%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (21.30%) and Two or More Races (8.07%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Joss in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Joss.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 58.99% | 446 |
| Hispanic | 21.30% | 161 |
| Two or More Races | 8.07% | 61 |
| Black | 5.82% | 44 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.63% | 35 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.19% | 9 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Joss: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Joss span from the 1970s to the 2020s, covering 6 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 284 babies were registered. While Joss is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Joss by Decade
How has Joss 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.
Joss by State
Joss + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Joss as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Joss
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
Joss: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joss?
We estimate approximately 670 people named Joss 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 511,574 Americans share this first name.
Is Joss a common name?
Joss is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 87.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 678 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Joss most popular?
Joss reached peak popularity in 2005, when 41 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Joss is approximately 15 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Joss in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 760 people with the first name Joss. That placed it at #15,197 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.25 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Joss was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Joss?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Joss was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 61.7% male and 38.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Joss?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Joss was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.99%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (21.30%) and Two or More Races (8.07%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Joss a male name?
Joss is predominantly male. 63.1% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Joss have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Joss peaked in 2005, and the average living bearer is about 15 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Joss Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Joss Smith, Joss Johnson, Joss 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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