Joey

About Joey

Joey is a familiar English short form of Joseph, whose Hebrew meaning is “he will add.” It is also used for girls, sometimes as a nickname for Josephine or Johanna. Those routes give the same two-syllable sound more than one family history. English Joey is pronounced JOE-ee, with a long o.

Joseph, Josephine, and Johanna

Joseph comes from Hebrew Yosef, connected with a root meaning “to add” or “increase.” Joey keeps its opening sound and replaces the ending with an ee syllable. Joe is the corresponding one-syllable form.

Josephine belongs to the same family. Johanna has a separate route: it comes through Greek Ioanna and belongs to the John family, whose Hebrew meaning is “Yahweh is gracious.” A Joey shortened from Johanna therefore has a different underlying meaning from one shortened from Joseph.

Jo, Joe, Jojo, and Josie are nearby everyday forms, but their use depends on the longer name. Joey can also stand independently as a registered given name, rather than functioning only as a household nickname.

Joey Ramone and punk music

Joey Ramone was the lead singer of the Ramones. Born Jeffrey Hyman, he performed under a name that became part of the group’s shared public identity alongside Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy Ramone.

The band’s self-titled debut appeared in 1976. Its stripped-down approach helped define the developing punk movement, favoring directness and energy over elaborate rock arrangements.

Later early albums included Rocket to Russia in 1977. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and their debut entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

Joey’s use was a professional name, not a shortening of Joseph in his birth name. That distinction gives this bearer a separate naming story while preserving the familiar spoken form.

Joey King on screen

Actor Joey King provides a prominent feminine bearer. In The Act, she plays Gypsy Rose Blanchard opposite Patricia Arquette as her mother, Dee Dee.

The limited series dramatizes a true-crime story centered on the relationship between mother and daughter. King’s performance received a 2019 Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie.

Her use makes Joey familiar in contemporary screen credits as well as in the history of punk music. The two performers illustrate different public uses of the same short written name.

American popularity

For American boys, Joey’s strongest ranking was #194 in 1976. Its largest annual count came earlier, with 1,529 births in 1962. In 2025 it ranked #877, with 274 boys.

For girls, the strongest year was 1974, with 232 births and a rank of #658. In 2025, 146 girls received Joey, placing it at #1,474. The spelling has a long recorded history for both sexes, alongside its continuing use as a nickname.

How popular is Joey?

In 2025, Joey ranked #877 among boys in the United States, with 274 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1915; its largest annual count was 1,529 in 1962. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.