Iokepa as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Iokepa

What is the meaning of the name Iokepa ?

The baby name Iokepa is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced ee-oh-KEH-pah (/i.oˈkɛ.pa/).

Iokepa is Hawaiian in Origin.

Iokepa is the Hawaiian form of Joseph, adapted through early nineteenth-century Bible translation and missionary schooling. It ultimately traces to Hebrew Yosef, from the verb yasaf, “to add/increase,” commonly glossed as “God will add (another son).” The name entered Hawaiian usage in baptismal registers and Hawaiian-language newspapers, and it remains familiar in Native Hawaiian communities and among the diaspora. Pronounced ee-oh-KEH-pah, it fits Hawaiian phonology by inserting vowels and replacing foreign consonants.

Variants and cognates are widespread: Hawaiian Iosepa (an older or alternate local form); English Joseph and Joe; Spanish and Portuguese José; Italian Giuseppe; French Joseph; German/Scandinavian Josef; Polish Józef; Irish Seosamh; Hebrew Yosef; Arabic Yūsuf/Youssef; Turkish Yusuf; Georgian Ioseb. Feminine counterparts include Josephine, Josèphe, Giuseppina, and Josefina. The enduring meaning across these forms centers on increase or divine favor, making Iokepa a culturally grounded yet internationally resonant choice.