Chief Joseph
There are approximately 1 people named Chief Joseph living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Chief with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Joseph. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Chief
325
Alive today
Named Joseph
125K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 325
Rarity: Very Rare
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2020
Average age: 8
Top Census group: Black or African American (31.7%)
Estimated bearers: 125K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #283
Per 100K: 36.45
Top ancestry: Black (55.5%)
First name trend
Chief: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Chief. The peak year was 2020 with 34 births. The average person named Chief today is 8 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chief
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Chief, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is Black or African American at 31.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Chief described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Chief at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American31.7% · 105
- White29.6% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native14.5% · 48
- Two or more races9.7% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 17
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Joseph surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Joseph, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 55.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Joseph described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Joseph at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American55.5% · 60,478
- White24.3% · 26,468
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.1% · 13,222
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4,065
- Two or more races3.5% · 3,804
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 898
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Chief has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0001% of the US population, based on 325 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Chief right now.
The surname Joseph appears at a rate of 36.45 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0364%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Chief Joseph. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Joseph
FAQ
Chief Joseph: questions and answers
How many people are named Chief Joseph?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Chief Joseph. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0001%) with the surname frequency (36.45 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Chief Joseph?
We classify Chief Joseph as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Chief a male or female name?
Chief is predominantly male. Out of 332 total SSA registrations, 100.0% were male and 0.0% were female. See the full Chief profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How common is the name Chief Joseph?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Chief Joseph at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.