Given name & surname
Joseph
“God shall add”
Joseph comes from a Hebrew expression of hope for another child and carries several important biblical associations.
Original Hebrewיוסף
Meaning & origin
What it means
Yosef means “God shall add,” traditionally understood as a hope that God would add another son to the family.
Where it comes from
Joseph is the English and French form of the Hebrew name Yosef.
How it developed
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.
The 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.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Joseph appears in Psalm 81:5, Numbers 13:7, Luke 3:28.
- Psalm 81:5
- Numbers 13:7
- Luke 3:28
From biblical name research
Joseph through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,680,213
- 2,669,490 boys · 10,723 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 32,832 babies
- 2025
- 7,315
- #29 for boys · #8,591 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7,303 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 29 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 32,749 in 1956. It also appeared in 12 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (721). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,600,667 as a first name in 2020; 108,935 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.
Joseph’s family of names
In English usage, Joseph has a diminutive in Joe. In English usage, Joseph shares an earlier linguistic root with Jose. In English usage, Joseph has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Giuseppe.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Joseph has relatives in 104 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Joseph comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 56
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Josevariant · English
- Josiepet form
- Joeydiminutive · French, English
- Joediminutive · English
- Joiediminutive · English
- Josefvariant · English, German
- Jodiminutive · French, English
- Jozefvariant · Albanian, Czech
Show 48 moreShow fewer
- Jojodiminutive · ceb, French
- Jossdiminutive · English
- Jessupvariant
- Joslinvariant
- Joseevariant · Manx
- Jefdiminutive · French
- Jobydiminutive · English
- Josdiminutive · English, French
- Josepvariant · roa-opt, Catalan
- Seppshort form · bar, French
- Josuvariant
- Josslinvariant
- Josephusvariant
- Josephevariant
- Josifvariant · Croatian
- Josipvariant · Slovene, Croatian
- Joselitovariant
- Iosephvariant · Latin
- Pepepet form
- 大鬍子nickname
- 慈父nickname
- Jupppet form · German
- Jjosephlikely variant
- Jossephlikely variant
- Josepphlikely variant
- Josephhlikely variant
- ⲓⲱⲥⲏⲫⲓⲟⲥvariant · onw
- Joédiminutive · French
- Jozkavariant
- Jozavariant
- Jopivariant
- Jopievariant
- Joosepivariant
- Joosepevariant
- Jooseppivariant · Finnish
- Joosepvariant · Estonian
- Joosefvariant
- Josebavariant · Basque
- Joszefvariant
- Joseitovariant
- Josévariant · Portuguese, Spanish
- Joosvariant
- Joopvariant
- Jessopvariant
- Iosephsvariant · Latin
- Josephsvariant · Latin
- Pepitopet form
- Seòsaidhpet form · Scottish Gaelic
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 171
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- יוסףHebrew, Yiddish
- Josephinefeminine form · English
- Yusufdoublet · English, Indonesian
- Jolenefeminine form
- Yosefcognate
- Yousefcognate · English
- Giuseppecognate · Italian
- Youssefary, arq
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Jodyrelated form
- YusifAzerbaijani
- Josipoitevin-saintongeais
- Yousafequivalent
- Josefaborrowing · fj, Shona
- Youssoufdoublet · French
- JusufAlbanian
- Iosifcognate · Romanian
- IokepaHawaiian
- Zefrelated form · Albanian
- Zerelated form
- Hovseprelated form
- Finafeminine form
- Sosefowls, fud
- GiuseppiSicilian
- Josonpoitevin-saintongeais, lorrain
- Josetpoitevin-saintongeais
- JoseffWelsh
- Jozigallo
- Iosebequivalent
- Seffequivalent
- Ossipequivalent
- Juozasequivalent
- Zéequivalent
- Joepequivalent
- യൂസുഫ്equivalent
- યૂસફequivalent
- Осифequivalent
- Gisèppiequivalent
- യൗസേപ്പ്equivalent
- Есыфequivalent
- Józewequivalent
- Іосіфequivalent
- 𑆪𑆷𑆱𑆶𑆦equivalent
- Iuśfòunequivalent
- Giöxèppeequivalent
- जोजेequivalent
- Iuśêfequivalent
- Giüsèppequivalent
- Giuśèpeequivalent
- Jozifequivalent
- Yosopequivalent
- Jozequivalent
- Gosefequivalent
- Jožeequivalent
- Jâoséequivalent
- Jozëequivalent
- Joschaequivalent
- Jožefequivalent
- Juzaequivalent
- Josephson“son of” surname · English
- ЖозефRussian
And 111 more.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Joseph
- Joe Biden46th President of the United States (2021–2025)born 1942
- Pope Benedict XVI265 th pope of the Catholic Church (2005–2013)1927–2022
- Rudyard KiplingEnglish writer and poet (1865–1936)
- Joseph FourierFrench mathematician and physicist (1768 – 1830)
- Joseph ConradPolish-British writer (1857–1924)
- J. J. ThomsonBritish physicist (1856-1940)
- Joseph SmithAmerican religious leader and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (1805–1844)
- Maurice RavelFrench composer (1875–1937)
- Buster KeatonAmerican actor, comedian, and director (1895–1966)
Characters named Joseph: Joey Tribbiani (Friends), Mayor Quimby (The Simpsons franchise), Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Robbie Robertson (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- People who changed the world
- Biblical names
- Old Testament examples
- Modern Jewish names
- Went by Middle Names
- Most Popular Names of the 1930s
- Most Popular Names of the 1920s
- Most Popular Names of the 1910s
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- Most Popular Names of the 1890s
- Fairy-Tale Names
- Top Twins Names of 2006
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- Gardeners
- Most Popular Names of the 1990s
- Most Popular Names of the 1980s
- Popular Names in England and Wales
Similar names
If you love Joseph, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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