Given name & surname
Josef
“God shall add”
In German use, Josef is a variant 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 German use, Josef is a variant 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 German use, Josef is a variant of Joseph. Joseph is the English and French form of the Hebrew name Yosef.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Josef developed from Ἰωσήφ. In German use, Josef is a variant 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
The name has historical associations with the Habsburg dynasty.
Josef through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,158
- 9,158 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1999
- 220 babies
- 2025
- 44
- #2,860 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 44 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,860 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 26.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 220 in 1999. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,669 as a first name in 2020; 414 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Josef’s family of names
Josef has an affectionate form in Joop. Josef shares a linguistic root with Joseph. In Czech usage, Josef has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Giuseppe.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Josef has relatives in 44 languages.
70 related names in 44 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 70
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Joseequivalent
- YusufTurkish
- Yosefequivalent
- GiuseppeItalian
- Jusufequivalent
- IosifRomanian
- Josifequivalent
- ZefAlbanian
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- JosepNorwegian, Catalan
- JosipCroatian
- Joepequivalent
- Josefínahas masculine form
- ИосифRussian
- Ujoorsiborrowing · Greenlandic
- Joorsiborrowing · Greenlandic
- ΙωσήφGreek
- JoséPortuguese, Spanish
- JózefPolish, Upper Sorbian
- Gosefcognate · gmw-ecg
- Juusoderivative · Finnish
- Osypequivalent
- Jožkoequivalent
- Язэпequivalent
- Giüsèppequivalent
- Jossephequivalent
- Yosypequivalent
- Osipequivalent
- يوسفequivalent
- Ossipequivalent
- Seffequivalent
- Jožeequivalent
- Zéequivalent
- Ἰωσήφroot · Ancient Greek
- JózsefHungarian
- ЙосипUkrainian
- JožefSlovene
- ЈосифSerbian
- SeòsaidhScottish Gaelic
- Jovssutsmi
- Jovssetsmi
- Jovssepsmi
- Jovsseksmi
- Josátsmi
- Josápsmi
- ОсипRussian
- HōhepaMāori
- JuozapasLithuanian
- IosephusLatin
- JósepIcelandic
- JósefIcelandic, Upper Sorbian
- SeosamhIrish
- יוסףHebrew
- იოსებGeorgian
- XoséGalician
- OsippaFinnish
- JuuseppiFinnish
- JuoseppiFinnish
- JooseppiFinnish
- JoosefFinnish
- JooseeFinnish
And 10 more.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Josef
- Sepp Blatter8th President of the International Federation of Association Footballborn 1936
- J. M. W. TurnerEnglish painter and draftsman (c.1775–1851)
- Josef StefanCarinthian Slovene physicist, mathematician and poet (1835-1893)
- Sepp MaierGerman association football player and coach, goalkeeper (born 1944)
- Josef ČapekCzech painter and writer (1887–1945)
- Josef AlbersGerman-American designer, painter, educator and typographer (1888–1976)
- Josef MasopustCzech footballer (1931-2015)
- Josef von SternbergAustrian-American film director (1894-1969)
- Josef BicanAustrian-Czech footballer (1913–2001)
Characters named Josef: Josef Švejk (The Good Soldier Švejk).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Josef, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jabez
“sorrowful” · “one who is delivered in pain”
>99% boys
Jessup
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Jos
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Joe
“God will add” · “God shall add”
>99% boys
Joszef
“God shall add”
>99% boys
Rajah
“a king” · “one who is filled with hope”
85% boys · 15% girls
Josephe
“God will add” · “God shall add”
>99% boys
Jahleel
“wait for God” · “hope of God”
>99% boys