Joline
Feminine
One letter separates this name from the French word for pretty. Jolie is an ordinary adjective in daily use; Joline is a name, and the resemblance is close enough that French speakers hear it immediately and English speakers almost never do. Whether it is the source is another question.
How old is the name Joline?
Joline first appears in US birth records in 1918 — 107 years ago. The typical Joline alive today was born around 1964, making them about 61 years old. About 1,600 people named Joline are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Joline most popular?
Joline peaked in 1928, reaching #888 nationally. See the whole 1928 chart.
Where it comes from
From Josephine to Joline
The story of Joline
The ending is a rebracketing, which is to say it is a piece of one word that got mistaken for a piece of another. French makes women's names in -ine — Josephine, Christine, Delphine — and the l in front of it in Caroline and Madeline belongs to the stem, not to the ending. English naming took the whole -line as a unit anyway and began attaching it to fronts that had no l of their own. Joline, Charline, Sharline and half a dozen others are the result. It is exactly the same mistake, made in exactly the same way, as the one that produced the -da and -ica families, and it is one of the most productive things English does without noticing.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name may be a French-looking build on Jo, or a shortening of Josephine with a fashionable ending, or a formation on the French adjective. None can be established and the three would give three different senses.
How the name formed
- Josephine
- Jolene
- Joline
Pronouncing Joline
jo-LEEN
Two syllables with the weight at the back. Some families front the stress and say JO-leen, and the spelling supports either.
Nicknames for Joline
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1918
- Most girls named
- 195640 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #888reached in 1928
- Change vs 2022
- −50.0%5 in 2024, from 10
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Jolines among us
people named Joline are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Joline sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Jo sits inside it as a short form that works in any register.
- The sound is soft, familiar and never needs a second attempt.
- It has a French shape without requiring any French sounds.
- Jolene is commoner and carries a very well-known song with it.
- No meaning can be given, because the route into the name is not identifiable.
- The stress placement is unsettled between the two syllables.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Joline to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Joline? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Joline
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Jolines are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Joline are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Joline in 2025?
- Joline is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Joline with classmates?
- Joline will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More J names
The most-given names starting with J, all years combined.
Jennifer#586 · Jessica#665 · Janet#2778 · Julie#872 · Joyce#1071 · Joan#1085 · Julia#131 · Jean#2117
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Joline? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Joline and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle