# Joss (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/joss/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 691 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 436 / 255 (37% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 672, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Verb usage evolved from the name of Joss Whedon, creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 12 | 9,414 |
| 2012 | 9 | 11,703 |
| 2013 | 5 | 17,842 |
| 2014 | 18 | 6,844 |
| 2015 | 20 | 6,337 |
| 2016 | 18 | 6,770 |
| 2017 | 15 | 7,634 |
| 2018 | 10 | 10,157 |
| 2019 | 9 | 10,869 |
| 2020 | 12 | 8,649 |
| 2021 | 7 | 12,796 |
| 2022 | 7 | 12,840 |
| 2023 | 9 | 10,705 |
| 2024 | 6 | 14,274 |
| 2025 | 5 | 15,989 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11 | 7,232 |
| 2012 | 15 | 5,844 |
| 2013 | 16 | 5,522 |
| 2014 | 21 | 4,620 |
| 2015 | 15 | 5,866 |
| 2016 | 16 | 5,666 |
| 2017 | 20 | 4,837 |
| 2018 | 11 | 7,356 |
| 2019 | 18 | 5,250 |
| 2020 | 27 | 3,864 |
| 2021 | 19 | 5,014 |
| 2022 | 14 | 6,305 |
| 2023 | 15 | 6,066 |
| 2024 | 13 | 6,633 |
| 2025 | 8 | 9,283 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 | 3,197 |
| 2005 | 8 | 2,438 |
| 2006 | 10 | 2,137 |
| 2007 | 5 | 3,667 |
| 2008 | 5 | 3,860 |
| 2012 | 3 | 5,876 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4,686 |
| 2020 | 7 | 3,117 |
| 2021 | 7 | 3,192 |
| 2023 | 7 | 3,218 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3,695 |
| 2025 | 5 | 4,201 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 1,600 |
| 2012 | 11 | 1,962 |
| 2013 | 6 | 2,954 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 16 | 1,511 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,570 |
| 2017 | 21 | 1,247 |
| 2018 | 14 | 1,683 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1,587 |
| 2020 | 19 | 1,314 |
| 2021 | 21 | 1,250 |
| 2022 | 16 | 1,534 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,407 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2,263 |
| 2025 | 16 | 1,613 |

## People named Joss

- Joss Whedon, American director, screenwriter, and producer (born 1964)
- Joss Stone, English singer, songwriter, and actress (born 1987)
- Joss Ackland, English actor (1928–2023)
- Joss Christensen, American freestyle skier, Olympian
- Joss Fritz, German insurgent (1470-1525)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.