Jose
Meaning of Jose
Jose is the Spanish form of Joseph, which derives from the Hebrew Yosef, usually explained as meaning that God will add. It is a standard given name throughout the Spanish-speaking world and appears in Portuguese as José. In Spanish it is pronounced HOH-seh, with an initial sound closer to an English h than to the j in jump; English speakers generally say jo-ZAY.
Two bearers are especially well known. José Rizal was the Filipino writer and ophthalmologist whose novels and reform campaigns under Spanish rule led to his execution and to his recognition as a national hero of the Philippines. José de San Martín was the Argentine general who led the independence struggles of Argentina, Chile and Peru and is remembered as the Liberator of all three.
In the United States the name was already in use in the 1880s, when it ranked 161st. It rose steadily through the twentieth century, reaching its highest position, 28th, in 2004, and its largest single-year count in 2002, when 12,868 boys were given the name. It has since become less common: 3,678 boys were named Jose in 2025, the year it ranked 95th.
Pronunciation
Spanish
- Pronunced as HOH-seh (/xoˈse/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Jose
| Jose Wright Diokno, a Filipino statesman and lawyer hailed as the Father of Human Rights in the Philippines, served as senator and justice secretary, founded FLAG, and uniquely topped both the bar and CPA exams. |
| Jose Paciano Laurel y Garcia was a Filipino politician and jurist who led the Japanese backed Second Philippine Republic during World War II and is officially recognized as a former Philippine president. |
| José Mourinho - Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese manager known as the Special One and current Benfica head coach, is one of the most decorated managers with league titles in four countries and all three current UEFA trophies. |
| José Rizal - Jose Rizal was a Filipino nationalist, writer and ophthalmologist who championed reforms under Spanish rule and is honored as a national hero. |
| Jose Carlos Altuve is a Venezuelan second baseman for the Houston Astros since 2011, the longest tenured player on the team and an all time great who has also represented Venezuela in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics. |
| José de San Martín - Argentine general Jose de San Martin, born in Yapeyu and sent to study in Spain at seven, led the fight for independence in southern South America, was known as the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru, and served as Protector of Peru. |
| José Raúl Capablanca - Jose Raul Capablanca, a Cuban chess prodigy, was the third World Chess Champion from 1921 to 1927, renowned for his endgame mastery and speed. |
| José Aldo - Jose Aldo is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist, the inaugural and longest reigning UFC featherweight champion after the WEC merger, a former WEC and interim UFC featherweight titleholder, and widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. |
| José Carreras - Josep Maria Carreras Coll, known as Jose Carreras, is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain famed for his Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini roles. |
| José Mujica - Jose Mujica, a former Tupamaros guerrilla and farmer, spent 14 years in prison before becoming a Broad Front politician and serving as president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. |
| José Saramago - Jose Saramago was a Portuguese writer who won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature and is renowned for imaginative, allegorical, subversive works praised by leading critics as part of the Western canon. |
| José Dariel Abreu Correa is a Cuban-born MLB first baseman and free agent who previously played for the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros. |
| José Altafini - Jose Joao Altafini, an Italian Brazilian striker nicknamed Mazzola, starred for AC Milan and later Napoli and Juventus, once held a European Cup scoring record, and ranks joint fourth all time in Serie A goals. |
| José Ortega y Gasset was a Spanish philosopher and essayist of the early 20th century whose life centered philosophy blended pragmatism, realist phenomenology, proto existentialism, and historicism. |
