Joey

Meaning of Joey

Joey—pronounced JO-ee (/ˈdʒoʊ.i/)—originates as the English hypocoristic form of the Hebrew name Joseph, “Yōsēf” (“he will add”), and by extension serves as a contracted variant for feminine counterparts such as Josephine and Joanna, rendering it authentically unisex within contemporary Anglo-American usage. In United States vital-statistics records, the designation has maintained a steady mid-range presence for more than a century, oscillating between roughly the 200th and 700th positions, with a gradual attenuation after its mid-20th-century zenith yet a recent stabilization near rank 660. Phonetically compact and semantically neutral, Joey conveys approachability, a perception reinforced by its lexical homonym for a young marsupial, which subconsciously aligns the name with notions of vigor and nascent energy. Cultural salience was amplified by high-visibility bearers—most notably the affable Joey Tribbiani of the television series “Friends”—while an array of athletes and musicians has further diversified its gender attribution. As a result, the name functions today as a versatile diminutive that balances informal familiarity with historical depth, suiting parents who seek a concise, gender-flexible label grounded in enduring Judeo-Christian tradition yet resonant with modern popular culture.

Pronunciation

English

• Pronunced as JOH-ee (/ˈdʒo.i/)
• Pronunced as JOH-ee (/dʒoʊi/)

• Jamie
• Jaxon
• Jace
• Joel
• Jordan
• Jonah
• Jesse