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Joseph as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Joseph

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The baby name Joseph is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒoʊzəf/ (JOH-zef).

Joseph is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /ˈdʒoʊzəf/ (JOH-zef)

What is the meaning of the name Joseph ?

The baby name Joseph is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒoʊzəf/ (JOH-zef).

Joseph is Hebrew in Origin.

Joseph stems from Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף), from the verb yasaf “to add,” conveying “He (God) will add/increase.” Through Greek Ioseph and Latin Iosephus, it entered medieval Europe, becoming common in English after the Norman period and especially following the Reformation. Biblical bearers anchor its appeal: Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, famed interpreter of dreams in Genesis; and Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, a central figure in Christian devotion. The Qur’anic Yusuf marks the name’s cross-faith reach, and Joseph has ranked highly in Britain and the United States across the 19th and 20th centuries.

International variants include Josef (German, Czech, Scandinavian), Giuseppe (Italian), José (Spanish and Portuguese), Józef (Polish), József (Hungarian), Jozef (Dutch, Slovak), and Yusuf/Yousef (Arabic and Persian). Common short forms are Joe, Joey, Jos, Sepp, Beppe, Peppe, Pepe, and Cheo; surnames and hypocoristics abound regionally. Feminine counterparts include Josephine, Josefina, Josée, and Giuseppina. Meaning: divine increase.

Joseph has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Joseph

Joseph Stalin Politician · Born 1878 · Russian Empire Joseph Stalin was a prominent Soviet politician who led the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. He is most famous for his role in transforming the Soviet Union into a major world power and for his leadership during World War II. His policies and purges had a significant impact on the country's history and its people. Joseph Goebbels Politician · Born 1897 · Germany Joseph Goebbels was a key figure in Nazi Germany, serving as the Minister of Propaganda. He was instrumental in spreading Nazi ideology and played a significant role in orchestrating propaganda campaigns during World War II. Goebbels was a close associate of Adolf Hitler and was known for his oratory skills and influence over German media. Joseph Smith Politician · Born 1805 · United States Joseph Smith was an American religious leader best known for founding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. He published the Book of Mormon in 1830, which he claimed to have translated from golden plates.
Joseph-Louis Lagrange Politician · Born 1736 · France Joseph-Louis Lagrange was a brilliant mathematician from France, best known for his work in the field of analytical mechanics. His contributions laid the groundwork for the development of calculus of variations and he played a crucial role in the advancement of mathematical physics. Sepp Blatter Politician · Born 1936 · Switzerland Sepp Blatter is a Swiss politician best known for his role as the President of FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, from 1998 to 2015. His tenure was marked by significant controversy and allegations of corruption, leading to his eventual suspension from FIFA activities. Joseph Priestley Politician · Born 1733 · United Kingdom Joseph Priestley was a renowned chemist and theologian, best known for discovering oxygen. He was also a significant figure in the Enlightenment and contributed to the development of Unitarianism. Although he lived in the United Kingdom, his work had a profound impact worldwide.

Celebrity babies named Joseph

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Joseph Baena Arnold Schwarzenegger film director
Joseph Talmadge Keaton Buster Keaton film director
Joseph Frederick Kushner Ivanka Trump model
Joseph Olivennes Kristin Scott Thomas film director
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. film producer

Joseph – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 836
HT Girls 0 #1 43 950
HT 0 #1 16 399
MT Boys 0 #1 1,529 4,064
CM 0 #2 72 2,592
CM Boys 0 #2 6,984 12,054
MT 0 #2 77 1,767
FJ 0 #3 4 374
HT Boys 0 #4 63 903
PH Boys 0 #6 1,440 11,440
NA Boys 0 #7 1,154 6,830
BI 0 #8 5 425
GH Boys 0 #8 4,468 8,138
GH 0 #9 797 5,396
NA 0 #9 28 2,537
BW Boys 0 #11 328 4,685
BW 0 #12 8 960
NG 0 #12 593 5,926
FJ Boys 0 #13 5 603
NG Boys 0 #13 23,924 16,906
ZA Boys 0 #15 14,982 25,619
DJ 0 #16 2 322
BI Boys 0 #17 27 917
MV 0 #18 2 644
PH 0 #20 82 5,607
BF Boys 0 #21 6 439
KR Boys 0 #25 3 897
ET Boys 0 #26 2 678
BN 0 #29 4 2,297
LB 0 #30 3,714 13,263
New Zealand Boys 2010 #31 147 99
DJ Boys 0 #31 6 657
United States Boys 2024 #32 7,223 7,044
QA 0 #32 76 7,011
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
AE 0 #34 173 10,220
ID 0 #35 5 2,238
MO 0 #35 18 2,706
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
TM Boys 0 #35 2 614
SG Boys 0 #40 2,705 17,960
TW Boys 0 #43 401 7,111
HN Boys 0 #44 9 749
MV Boys 0 #48 30 3,375
PR 0 #48 8 1,497
PR Boys 0 #52 197 2,508
JM 0 #53 35 3,714
OM 0 #53 69 6,215
NL Boys 2014 #54 14 79
CY 0 #54 7 1,632
CN 0 #56 30 3,857
Canada Boys 2024 #57 444 2,588
BN Boys 0 #59 76 6,332
KW 0 #59 58 5,216
LU 0 #62 5 2,830
CY Boys 0 #64 75 3,473
IN 0 #67 5 2,963
France Boys 2021 #68 905 2,865
JP 0 #68 10 4,057
TW 0 #69 32 4,523
AO 0 #72 6 2,729
SG 0 #73 251 11,010
AZ Girls 0 #75 1 1,051
JM Boys 0 #75 326 6,876
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
PA Boys 0 #79 1,484 9,305
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
CR 0 #88 71 5,526
MO Boys 0 #89 160 5,842
ID Boys 0 #90 42 4,130
QA Boys 0 #90 1,442 18,093
CR Boys 0 #92 1,368 10,188
MY Boys 0 #95 3,833 25,439
SD 0 #96 7 2,130
HK Boys 0 #98 1,620 12,905
PA 0 #99 32 3,797
EC 0 #101 15 2,502
SA 0 #104 223 10,560
GE Boys 0 #106 5 2,055
CN Boys 0 #109 298 9,639
HU 0 #110 6 1,675
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
KW Boys 0 #114 1,580 18,755
LU Boys 0 #114 111 4,970
IQ 0 #118 12 3,533
EE Boys 0 #120 6 2,087
Switzerland Boys 2024 #121 17 1,769
JO 0 #122 16 2,158
GR 0 #127 9 3,911
ZA 0 #127 375 14,421
HK 0 #128 292 8,483
Norway Boys 2025 #130 5 444
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
MU 0 #133 5 3,613
MY 0 #135 215 12,352
SD Boys 0 #136 514 10,523
MT Girls 0 #137 15 3,773
PE Boys 0 #138 4,179 14,506
BW Girls 0 #139 10 4,216
HU Boys 0 #142 34 3,954
BH 0 #147 577 17,937
EC Boys 0 #148 109 3,322
Belgium Boys 2024 #149 40 401
LT Boys 0 #149 3 2,166
EG Boys 0 #151 4,395 15,035
Sweden Boys 2022 #152 31 1,509
AE Boys 0 #154 2,830 22,615
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
NA Girls 0 #159 66 7,146
AO Boys 0 #168 76 5,568
PE 0 #175 144 6,350
PS 0 #177 42 5,692
HR 0 #179 3 2,081
CZ 0 #180 7 3,154
EG 0 #181 347 6,387
GR Boys 0 #181 87 6,912
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
IL Boys 0 #186 834 10,983
NG Girls 0 #186 1,756 15,093
GT Boys 0 #188 518 7,625
IL 0 #188 89 6,291
OM Boys 0 #189 1,427 17,948
AR 0 #190 4 2,915
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
RU 0 #191 4 3,641
DK 0 #194 10 5,198
CO Boys 0 #197 3,192 15,656
BG Boys 0 #207 13 3,850
SI Boys 0 #208 4 3,402
CL Boys 0 #209 1,524 13,390
JP Boys 0 #210 88 7,909
PL 0 #211 2 2,600
PS Boys 0 #212 533 10,655
AO Girls 0 #216 2 4,575
CZ Boys 0 #219 89 6,530
JO Boys 0 #220 190 7,057
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
IR 0 #225 7 4,221
BD 0 #236 6 5,992
MU Boys 0 #238 125 8,477
MX Boys 0 #242 2,326 16,355
PT 0 #244 7 4,161
HR Boys 0 #248 11 3,997
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
EC Girls 0 #257 2 3,650
DK Boys 0 #258 68 7,401
GH Girls 0 #259 66 6,973
GT 0 #261 54 5,948
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
SY 0 #267 849 11,684
AF Boys 0 #270 5 3,535
IT Boys 0 #270 4,989 10,046
JM Girls 0 #273 6 7,507
PT Boys 0 #273 99 7,951
France Girls 1963 #276 3 1,208
KZ Boys 0 #277 13 6,578
TW Girls 0 #286 4 8,139
PL Boys 0 #294 42 6,459
SA Boys 0 #295 4,585 28,008
QA Girls 0 #296 21 15,378
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
Canada Girls 1992 #309 5 2,320
Austria Boys 0 #312 134 2,180
YE 0 #316 66 8,639
BO Boys 0 #327 348 9,244
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
SD Girls 0 #330 16 7,678
BR 0 #331 15 5,969
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
MU Girls 0 #335 17 8,539
Finland Boys 0 #336 92 2,041
JO Girls 0 #337 3 7,570
LY 0 #338 210 12,703
MX 0 #340 74 8,339
NL 0 #341 51 2,481
IQ Boys 0 #343 404 13,071
BO 0 #352 30 6,868
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
CO 0 #366 116 7,768
PH Girls 0 #368 23 13,098
OM Girls 0 #374 23 15,987
UY Boys 0 #376 24 5,922
CL 0 #378 34 6,867
CM Girls 0 #386 159 11,671
RU Boys 0 #403 103 12,621
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
Germany 0 #406 32 2,542
Spain 0 #406 47 2,326
Spain Boys 0 #413 739 5,610
AR Boys 0 #415 53 7,628
IR Boys 0 #417 140 10,162
MA 0 #433 1,290 20,986
BR Boys 0 #439 379 12,213
TN 0 #456 487 13,765
IN Boys 0 #464 674 16,750
PA Girls 0 #467 15 9,861
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
IT 0 #476 253 4,183
KW Girls 0 #479 37 19,177
BD Boys 0 #485 92 10,045
NL Boys 0 #485 580 5,873
Germany Boys 0 #490 575 5,697
IQ Girls 0 #494 11 11,303
Finland Boys 2026 #503 196 3,552
AE Girls 0 #504 50 20,968
PS Girls 0 #514 10 10,981
RU Girls 0 #518 6 11,913
DZ 0 #528 931 20,130
GT Girls 0 #535 7 7,500
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
SG Girls 0 #553 34 18,916
CR Girls 0 #568 6 11,342
HK Girls 0 #600 16 16,104
IL Girls 0 #605 13 11,648
IN Girls 0 #605 27 13,121
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
CL Girls 0 #644 211 14,098
BO Girls 0 #648 4 9,488
ZA Girls 0 #733 460 25,928
SA Girls 0 #829 107 25,931
EG Girls 0 #892 68 14,742
United States Girls 2023 #903 12 8,600
PE Girls 0 #917 27 14,861
BR Girls 0 #926 16 12,708
MY Girls 0 #937 58 24,821
TR 0 #968 247 19,440
Spain Girls 0 #969 15 5,561
CO Girls 0 #1,041 38 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,126 58 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,377 70 9,415

Joseph is popular in 100 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Ireland
NL
Scotland, United Kingdom

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People also ask about Joseph

Joseph is predominantly a boy's name.
Joseph is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈdʒoʊzəf/ (JOH-zef).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Yosef, Yoseph, Josef, Jozef, Josep and Josephus.
Across languages, Joseph has these equivalents: Hebrew: Yosef (יוֹסֵף), Russian: Iosif (Иосиф), Arabic: Yusuf (يوسف), Spanish diminutive: Pepe (as a traditional nickname).
Yes, very popular — Joseph ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 13 countries.
Joseph ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Joseph's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 24 notable people named Joseph are in our database, including Joseph Stalin (Politician), Joseph Goebbels (Politician), Joseph Smith (Politician).
Yes — at least 5 celebrity couples have chosen Joseph for their child, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.