UK boy's name
Joe
A masculine name of English origin meaning "he will add".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Joe is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Joe popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #785, with 43 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 1,567 births.
This profile covers 19,164 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 3% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 20,867 living people in the UK are called Joe. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Joe ranked #785 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 43 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 1,567 boys were registered as Joe.
- • Joe ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #202 in 2024.
- • About 20,867 living people in the UK are estimated to have Joe as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#785
2024
Births in 2024
43
Latest year
Peak year
1996
1,567 births
Estimated living
20,867
2026
Meaning
What does Joe mean?
The name Joe is a masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "he will increase." The name has its origins in ancient Israel and is found in the Old Testament of the Bible.
Joe is a short form of the name Joseph, which was one of the most popular names given to boys in early Christianity. The name gained widespread use in Europe after the Middle Ages, with various spellings and diminutive forms emerging in different languages, such as Giuseppe in Italian, José in Spanish, and Josef in German.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joe can be found in the 16th century, when it began to appear as a diminutive form of Joseph in English-speaking regions. It is believed that the shortening of Joseph to Joe was influenced by the Dutch name Joo, which was a common variant of the name during that time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Joe. One of the most famous is Joe Louis, the American professional boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1937 to 1949. He was born in 1914 and passed away in 1981.
Another well-known Joe is Joe DiMaggio, the American baseball player who spent his entire 13-year career with the New York Yankees. He was born in 1914 and died in 1999, and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Joe Frazier, born in 1944 and died in 2011, was an American professional boxer and undisputed world heavyweight champion. He is best known for his epic rivalry with Muhammad Ali, culminating in the "Thrilla in Manila" fight in 1975.
Joe Hill, born in 1879 and executed in 1915, was a Swedish-American labor activist and songwriter. He was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and became a notable figure in the labor movement in the early 20th century.
Joe Sakic, born in 1969, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent his entire career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Joe over time
The chart below shows babies named Joe registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Joe, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 43 births in 2024, compared with 1,567 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joe by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Joe was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #552 | 380 | 5 |
| 2010s | #223 | 2,936 | 10 |
| 2000s | #67 | 10,324 | 10 |
| 1990s | #52 | 5,524 | 4 |
Geography
Where Joe is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Joe. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Joe ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #202 in 2024.
Across the UK
Joe in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#404 in 2024
46 years of NRS records, 1,448 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#202 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 454 total registered
Related
Names similar to Joe
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joel 19,004
FAQ
Joe: questions and answers
How popular is the name Joe in the UK right now?
In 2024, Joe was ranked #785 for boys in England and Wales, with 43 births registered.
When was Joe most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 1,567 babies registered as Joe in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Joe?
A masculine name of English origin meaning "he will add".
How many people are called Joe in the UK?
A total of 19,164 babies have been registered as Joe across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,448 more in Scotland and 454 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Joe most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Joe ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #202 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.