Jose · Daily fortune

Jose is a masculine name that Behind the Name describes as the "unaccented form of José used mainly in America and the Philippines". José is the Spanish (and Portuguese and French) form of Joseph, which Behind the Name derives from the Hebrew Yosef meaning "he will add", from the root yasaf ("to add, to increase"); the Jose entry itself lists yasaf as its root. The English pronunciation is given as ho-ZAY, and a Filipino pronunciation is also recorded. Documented Spanish diminutives are Joselito, Pepe and Pepito, and the feminine form is Josefa. In the United States the spelling Jose ranked #95 for boys in 2025.

Behind the Name's entry for Jose reads, in full, "Unaccented form of José used mainly in America and the Philippines", with the root given as yasaf and the usage labelled Spanish (Americanized, Filipinized). The accented José entry was not cached for this pass, but Behind the Name's Joseph entry lists José as the French variant and "Jose, José, Joselito, Josepe, Pepe, Pepito" as the Spanish forms of Joseph, and gives Joseph's origin as the Hebrew Yosef "meaning 'he will add', from the root יָסַף (yasaf) meaning 'to add, to increase'". The Jose entry also lists Josepe as a variant, Joselito, Pepe and Pepito as diminutives, and Josefa as the feminine form.

Jose ranked #95 for boys in the United States in 2025 (Social Security Administration), counting the unaccented spelling only; the SSA file does not record accents, so this figure effectively covers José as well. No other national rankings were checked in this pass.

Jose is a short, two-syllable name with a warm open ending. In the United States it reads as unmistakably Spanish-speaking in heritage while being one of the most familiar names in the country, which gives it both cultural rootedness and everyday ease.

Names that share Jose's Joseph family tree or its Spanish-language character (editorial suggestions).