Josemaria
Masculine · “he will add”
Josemaria writes José María as one word, and it is one of the few Spanish compounds where a man carries María as his second element.
How old is the name Josemaria?
Josemaria first appears in US birth records in 1922 — 103 years ago. The typical Josemaria alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 800 people named Josemaria are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Josemaria most popular?
Josemaria peaked in 1996, reaching #2679 nationally. Today it ranks #4539, 1,860 places below that high. See the whole 1996 chart.
Josemaria appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From José María to Josemaria
The story of Josemaria
Spanish Catholic naming gives María to men as a second element — José María, Juan María — as an act of devotion, and the practice is old and entirely ordinary in Spain, Mexico and Latin America generally. Josemaría Escrivá, who founded Opus Dei in 1928, wrote his own name closed up, and that spelling is associated with him. It appears in American records with Spanish-speaking families.
Meaning
he will add; and Mary
José descends from Hebrew Yosef, he will add. María descends from Miriam, whose own meaning has never been established. The compound is a devotional pairing rather than a grammatical one.
How the name formed
- José María
- Josemaria
Related forms: José María · Giuseppe Maria · José Maria
Pronouncing Josemaria
ho-seh-mah-REE-ah
Five syllables with the main stress on the fourth. Said as two names run together.
Nicknames for Josemaria
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
- 1922
- Most boys named
- 202138 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2679reached in 1996
- Change vs 2024
- +69.2%22 in 2025, from 13
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.
Josemaria in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- José María in Spanish — same name
- Giuseppe Maria in Italian — same name
- José Maria in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Josemarias among us
people named Josemaria are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 77,640 born in 2025 was named Josemaria
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Nolberto test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Josemaria's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Nolberto climbed just as high around 1981, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Nolberto's path sketches the road Josemaria is walking now.
Josemaria sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Josemaria beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Josemaria in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Both halves are among the most-used names in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Chema is a genuinely warm and established short form for exactly this compound.
- Written as one word, it survives forms that discard a second given name.
- Systems and teachers will split it back or drop the second half.
- Ten letters in one field is awkward and the capital M is usually lost.
- A man carrying María surprises non-Spanish speakers.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Josemaria 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 Josemaria? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Josemaria
Masculine · #4539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Josemarias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Josemaria are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Josemaria in 2025?
- Josemaria ranks #4539 among US boy names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Josemaria?
- About 1 in every 77,640 US boys born in 2025 was named Josemaria — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Josemaria with classmates?
- Josemaria will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Josemaria
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nels#4539 · Gabe#4539 · Michel#4539 · Elroy#4539 · Orlin#4539 · Pearce#4539 · Jory#4539 · Napoleon#4539
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Josemaria? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Josemaria 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