Name of the Day: Josephine
Today’s choice offers a truly winning combination. She’s historic and regal, but with a host of nicknames that would suit a child of any personality.
Our Name of the Day goes out to Lola’s darling daughter: Josephine.
Once upon a time, the preferred feminization of Joseph was Josephe – just add an e. But while Joseph has been in use since Biblical times, it was rare to meet a girl wearing any version of the name.
But Josephe did catch on, at least in France, first thanks to the popularity of Saint Joseph and later, due to the Protestant Reformation’s zeal for adopting lesser-used Biblical names.
History’s most famous Josephine was actually born Marie Josèphe; Josephine was a diminutive, but by the time she met her future husband, she was known exclusively by the appellation.
The love story between Napoleon and Josephine is one of history’s favorites. It didn’t end happily – they divorced in hopes that remarriage would produce a male heir. But the former Empress would triumph over time through her daughter from a prior marriage, Hortense. Hortense married her stepfather’s brother, and their son – Josephine’s grandson – would eventually reign as Napoleon III.
Pick up any family tree of the current ruling houses of Europe, and you’ll find your way back to the Empress. Her granddaughter Josephine was Queen of Sweden in the 19th century; in the 1950s, another descendant wearing her name would become Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Josephine remains in rotation among royal monikers.
Josephine has an awful lot of artistic zest and world-changing passion, too. After all, it’s the name of the legendary Josephine Baker. An American by birth, racism sent her abroad to stardom in France. She was also a fearless member of the French Resistance, using her unique position to aid the underground. She later became involved in the American Civil Rights movement. Years before the world even imagined Brangelina’s starbaby brood, Baker adopted a dozen orphans from all over the world.
Josephine has also been a favorite pick for characters in fiction, starting with headstrong tomboy Jo March in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women series. Elinor Brent-Dyer’s Joey Bettany starred in her Chalet School series. The influence of these imaginary Josephines lends the name some oomph.
Quite fashionable in the 19th century, Josephine ranked in the Top 100 from 1880 through 1941. She reached her heights in the 1910s, when Pauline, Genevieve, Marguerite and Charlotte were also Top 100 picks. It was a moment for substantial, but feminine, français choices.
Little wonder, then, that history offers us plenty of notable Josephines:
- 19th century reformer Josephine Shaw Lowell;
- Suffragette and civil rights activist Josephine Ruffin;
- Mystery writers Josephine Bell and Josephine Tey;
- Poet Josephine Preston Peabody.
The list goes on and on.
We’ll admit that what we most love about Josephine is her limitless list of nicknames. Besides the obvious Jo, there’s:
- The stolen-from-the-boys Joey;
- Josie, no longer just for Pussycats;
- The French-fried Fifi;
- The spelling-challenged but sweet Feeny or Fina;
- The flower-power Posy;
- Virtually any name starting with Jo – JoJo, Jos, Joss, Josette.
Just as with our list of notables, we’re certain a few are missing!
Today Josephine comes in at #224, quite a gain after spending the 80s and early 90s in the 400s. She’s not rare, but neither is she as common as Katherine or Elizabeth. Josephine offers a strong name without venturing into the gender neutral realm of Harper and Hadley. It’s a versatile choice that is comfortably underused – but we wouldn’t be surprised if more parents turn to this appealing name in coming years. Given her French flair and her similarity to Madeline, Josephine is likely to gain in the future.
Filed under: Literary Babes, Little Ruler, Names for Girls, Names of the Day | 12 Comments
Tags: Josephe, Josephine
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Thanks, Verity! I’ve been in love with Josephine since I was a tot (Cleopatra may have been the first of my chosen alternate appellations, Josephine was the most frequent). I’ve loved her strength and her frll forever and was thrilled to get the chance to finally use it on a daughter. My probem now? What to name a potential sister!
Josephine’s got a fantastic history and a host of equally fantastic nicknames. Josie’s her main one but alternates, depending on mood are: Fifi, Effie, Jo & Fee (Which she just insisted on earlier today). Posy didn’t work past 1 on mine but may on another Josephine. One not so suited to surfing, climbing and basically trying anything that has my heart in my throat. But please, not Jojo, that’s for my 35 year old cousin Joseph, to set him apart from Joe, the 42 year old cousin and Joey, the 23 year old Joseph cousin. And those are just three withn my own generation (more or less). There are 12 (yeah, 12) Josephs in my family, 11 of them on my Mother’s side, 1 on Dad’s. And my Josie’s the only Josie! (yeah!). All to honor one crazy coal miner of a Gagi.
I do think I had mine at the perfect time, I really think Josephine is poised to jump upwards again, along with Genevieve (I know a a sister set online, Josephine & Genevieve) and Charlotte. I think Josephine would make a darling little sister for the fearsome Charlotte.
All that grandeur with all those darling little diminutives, What’s not to love? Follow the link if you want to see mine: (Bonus for me if it actually shows up as a piture)
Okay no links allowed. Oh well!
I love Josephine! If only my husband or I had any family members named Joseph, it would immediately become my top choice for a girls’ middle name. I love the flow of Clara Josephine and Isla Josephine. Who knows? It may be one I’d consider anyway, despite its lack of family connections.
I love it! It’s a perfect combination of classic, regal, and unusual. I wish my parents had considered Josephine instead of the much more common Katherine Elizabeth for me.
Katherine Elizabeth is a very classy name – I mean you can’t go wrong with the classics can you?
That said, I know what you mean, Josephine embodies all the same classic qualitites but without being so ‘common’. I rather like the thought of Effie as a nickname too – how cute is that?!
I think perhaps my warmer feelings towards Katherine and Elizabeth (ignoring the fact that the former is basically my name – save for one letter) reflect the fact that neither name is as popular in the UK as in the States. Don’t get me wrong, both are still classic names here, its just that not many people are using these classic names any more; while Elizabeth is a top ten US name, she doesn’t even make the UK top 100 – we’re all too busy calling our daughters Evie and Ruby these days!
Hey coolteamblt! Us C/Katherine Elizabeths must unite! I love Josephine. It used to be my #1 for a potential daughter and it still up there. Jo from Little Women is a great namesake too.
Hey Lola, are you having trouble getting on Name That Baby? I am
I am. With a period. Editing is not my strong suit today.
I am too, Catherine. Got am email from Nicole I can’t open either. Popped in here to give yahoo a chance to reset. Tred NtB just before, no luck. sql errors. She may be updating the board. I’ll let you know, if I ever get ahold of Nicole!
Okay: NtB is down, Nicole says it looks like the servers for the site crashed. She’s working on it as I type. Told me to let everyone know (not that I know how to get ahold of anyone but you, Catherine….) Says it may take a few days. I’ll keep checking and if she emails me to tell me the site’s back up, I’ll tell you! (Sorry for the hijack, Verity!)
Thanks Lola! I was a tad worried there. A friend of mine is waiting for her confirmation, so I’ll let her know. Don’t know how to get a hold of anyone else though.
Oh yeah, don’t get me wrong. I do like my name, but it is a popular combination. I was born in 1986, and I’m relieved I wasn’t Jessica Ashley or something trendy and insubstantial. And Katherine Elizabeth is really pretty, isn’t it, Catherine?
What a lot of people don’t think about is the popularity of a nickname. Katherine (28), Catherine (67), Kathryn (48) Kathleen (68), Caitlin (69), Kate (186), and Katie (38) were all very in the top 200 in 1986 (rank in parentheses). I was one of six Kates in my freshman English class. It was really obnoxious. My 600 person graduating class had three different Katherine Elizabeths and one Kathryn Elizabeth
My sister is the equally classic but more unusual Amelia Margaret. She’s usually the only Amelia in her whole school, let alone a single class. I’m so jealous of that. To me, Amelia, which was 194th the year she was born, is along the same lines as Josephine. Josephine is much lower in popularity, but along the same vein.
I do adore the fact that I’m named for people that were important to my family (Great Grandmother Kathleen and Great Aunt Jewel Elissa) instead of just because a name was cute. I’ll always take a common name with meaning over an uncommon one with no meaning.