Given name
Josephus
“God shall add”
Josephus 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
Josephus 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
Josephus 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
In Cebuano usage, Josephus developed from Ἰώσηπος. Josephus 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
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Josephus is a variant 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
Josephus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,211
- 1,211 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1923
- 28 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 5 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 28 in 1923. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 619 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.
Josephus’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Josephus developed from the Ancient Greek form Ἰώσηπος. Josephus has a related form in Joseph. In Old Galician-Portuguese usage, Josephus has a related form in Josep.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Josephus
- Joseph Justus ScaligerFrench historian (1540-1609)
- Josephus DanielsAmerican diplomat and newspaper editor (1862–1948)
- Josephus Andreas FodorDutch composer and violinist (1752-1828)
- Josephus Laurentius DyckmansBelgian painter (1811-1888)
- Josephus AdjutusAssyrian theologian1602–1668
- Josephus LylesAmerican male sprinterborn 1998
- Josephus ThimisterDutch fashion designer (1962–2019)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Josephus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.