Given name
Jef
“God shall add”
In French use, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. Yosef means “God shall add,” traditionally understood as a hope that God would add another son to the family.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In French use, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. Yosef means “God shall add,” traditionally understood as a hope that God would add another son to the family.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In French use, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. Joseph is the English and French form of the Hebrew name Yosef.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In French usage, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. In French use, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. The shared background comes through Joseph: The English and French name continues the biblical Hebrew form Yosef. The idea of adding is part of the name’s original family context, rather than a later personality interpretation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In French use, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. The history of Joseph gives this family its wider story. In Genesis, Joseph is Jacob’s son who is taken to Egypt and later reconciled with his brothers. In the New Testament, Joseph is also the husband of Mary, giving the name a distinct place in Christian tradition.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jef through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 129
- 129 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1963
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1973. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15 in 1963. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 561 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jef’s family of names
In French usage, Jef is a diminutive of Joseph. In Breton usage, Jef is a diminutive of Jozef. In Breton usage, Jef has a diminutive in Jefig.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jef
- Jef RaskinAmerican computer interface expert (1943-2005)
- Jef MermansBelgian footballer (1922-1996)
- Jef PlanckaertBelgian road bicycle racer (1934–2007)
- Jef GeeraertsBelgian novelist (1930–2015)
- Jef Scherenstrack cyclist (1909–1986)
- Sjefke JanssenDutch racing cyclist (1919–2014)
- Jef LambeauxBelgian sculptor (1852-1908)
- Jef DemuysereBelgian road bicycle racer1907–1969
- Jef Van Der LindenBelgian footballer (1927-2008)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jef, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zef
“God will add” · “God shall add”
>99% boys
Pepe
“God will add” · “God shall add”
>99% boys
Joselito
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Joby
“God shall add” · “persecuted”
>99% boys
Josip
“God shall add” · “God will add”
>99% boys
Jessup
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Joosef
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Józef
“God shall add”
>99% boys