Josey is a variant of Josie, the pet form of Josephine, which goes back to the Hebrew Yosef and means "God will add" or "he will increase". The spelling with -ey has an old-fashioned country feel and is remembered from the Clint Eastwood western The Outlaw Josey Wales. Josey ranked 1798 among US girls in 2000 and has remained in the 2000s ever since, standing at number 2793 in 2025.