Joey
Say it: JOH-ee
BoyMeans pet form of Joseph4 letters2 syllables
#90
in Ireland (2025)
#92 with spellings combined
64
babies in 2025
#81
best rank (2022)
1,017
babies since 1990
Up 44
10-year rank change
Joey through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64 | #92 |
| 2024 | 78 | #81 |
| 2023 | 62 | #97 |
| 2022 | 81 | #81 |
| 2021 | 61 | #105 |
| 2020 | 61 | #100 |
| 2019 | 68 | #100 |
| 2018 | 55 | #120 |
| 2017 | 46 | #134 |
| 2016 | 48 | #136 |
| 2015 | 46 | #136 |
| 2014 | 64 | #114 |
| 2013 | 49 | #127 |
| 2012 | 21 | #250 |
| 2011 | 31 | #198 |
| 2010 | 21 | #252 |
| 2009 | 27 | #209 |
| 2008 | 16 | #275 |
| 2007 | 24 | #201 |
| 2006 | 19 | #211 |
| 2005 | 11 | #254 |
| 2004 | 15 | #203 |
| 2003 | 11 | #245 |
| 2002 | 10 | #235 |
| 2001 | 8 | #251 |
| 2000 | 7 | #250 |
| 1999 | 3 | #379 |
| 1998 | 4 | #324 |
| 1993 | 3 | #339 |
| 1990 | 3 | #323 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Joey mean?
Pet form of Joseph
English, from Joe, the short form of Joseph, with the friendly ending -y.
Say it right
JOHee
The story of Joey
Joey began as a pet form of Joe, which is itself short for Joseph, the Hebrew name usually explained as “he will add”. Now and then it is also used as a short form of Josephine or other names starting with J, though in Ireland it is almost always a boys’ name.
For a long time Joey was what a Joseph might be called at home rather than a name in its own right. That has changed over the last few decades.
Joey first reached the CSO list in 1990 and stayed rare until the 2000s. It climbed through the 2010s and had its best year in 2022, when 81 boys got the name and it reached number 79 on the official CSO ranking. In Northern Ireland it had its highest place yet in 2025, at 72nd.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Joey (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Joey (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA Baby Names, Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Joey | 64 | 1,017 |
In Northern Ireland
#72 in 2025 with 33 babies. Best rank #72 (2025); 246 babies since 2004.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.
Joey is also given to girls: 3 since 2015.