Holding steady.
Popularity of Jozi since 1994
Babies named Jozi per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2011, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Jozi's real moment was 2022.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 19 |
| 2000s | 56 |
| 2010s | 83 |
| 2020s | 63 |
Meaning & origin
Jozi is a modern, rare girl's name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1994. Its origin is unclear, but it likely started as a creative spelling of the nickname Josie, or as a short form of Jocelyn. The name has never ranked in the top 1000, reflecting its scarcity. Its peak year was 2022, though even then it was given only a handful of times. The trajectory has been stable, with occasional infrequent usage. Jozi fits the trendy style of short, vowel-ending names like Mila and Isla, but remains highly distinctive. Because it is a recent and unattested coinage, no definitive meaning or etymology is available.
Jozi is a modern coinage or nickname form. It may derive from Jocelyn (which has Old German roots meaning 'a member of the Gauts') or from Josie, a diminutive of Josephine, itself the feminine form of Joseph (Hebrew 'he will add'). Alternatively, it could be a phonetic spelling of the nickname Josie. Jozi first appeared in U.S. records in 1994 and saw a small peak in 2022, reflecting the trend of short, playful -i ending names for girls.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Jo, Jojo
Sibling names for Jozi
Names that share Jozi's style, for a brother or sister.
