Josef
Josef is a male given name: 98% of people named Josef are men, and it is recorded as male in 12 of the 12 countries covered.
Josef · Jósef
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 98% male / 2% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland
- Also spelled
- Jósef
- US births since 1880
- 8,615 male / 0 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Josef
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Josef," in English, "Guten Tag Josef," in German. Josef is a male given name: about 98% of people named Josef are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Josef,
German
Guten Tag Josef,
French
Bonjour Josef,
Spanish
Estimado/a Josef:
Chinese
Josef您好：
Japanese
Josef様
English
Hi Josef,
German
Hi Josef,
French
Salut Josef,
Spanish
Hola Josef,
Chinese
Josef你好：
Japanese
Josef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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Czech Republic | very common | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | common | man's name | 98% |
| United States | common | man's name | 100% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Iceland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
8,615 male · 0 female · 8,615 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Josef a male or female name?
Josef is a male given name: 98% of people named Josef are men, and it is recorded as male in 12 of the 12 countries covered.
How do I address Josef in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Josef," in English, "Guten Tag Josef," in German. Josef is a male given name: about 98% of people named Josef are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Josef a unisex name?
Josef is not a unisex name: 98% of people named Josef are men. Josef 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 Josef a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/josef (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_josef,
title = {Is Josef a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/josef},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}