Joseph is a masculine given name originating from Hebrew, recorded in the Hebrew Bible, as יוֹסֵף, Standard Hebrew Yossef, Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic Yôsēp̄. The name can be translated from Hebrew יוסף יהוה yosef YHWH as signifying "Yahweh will/shall increase/add".
The name appears already in the book of Genesis: Joseph is Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first son, and known in the Jewish Bible as Yossef ben-Yaakov.
In the New Testament there are two others named Joseph: 1) Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus; and, 2) Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus who supplied the tomb in which Jesus was buried.
The form "Joseph" is used mostly in English, French and German-speaking countries. In Arabic, including in the Qur'an, the name is spelled يوسف or Yūsuf. The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and Joseph was one of the two names, along with Robert, to have remained in the top 10 boys' names list in the US from 1925 to 1972. It is especially common in contemporary Israel, as either "Yossi" or "Yossef", and in Italy, where the name "Giuseppe" was the most common male name in the 20th century.
Diminutives of Joseph include Joe and Joey. Others include Joss and Jody. The feminine form of the name, Josephine, is commonly abbreviated to Jo.
Variations for males include:
Afrikaans: JosefAlbanian: Zef, Josif, IsufAlsatian: SeppAmharic: ዮሴፍ (Yosēfi)Armenian: Հովսեփ (Hovsep)Arabic: يوسف (Yūsuf, Youssef, Yussef, Yousif)Azerbaijani: Yusif, Yusuf, UsubBelarusian: Іосіф, (Iosif), Язэп, (Yazep)Bengali: ইউসুফ (Iusuf or Yusuf) (Islamic), জোসেফ (Jushef) (Christian)Bosnian: Josip, JusufBasque: Joseba, JosepeBulgarian: Йосиф (Yosif)Burmese (Myanmar): ယောသပ်သည် (Yaw sautsai)Cantonese: 育瑟夫 (Yùsèfū)Catalan: Josep, Pep (shortened form), Jep (an alternative shortened form)Corsican: GhjaseppuCroatian: Josip, Joso, Jozo, Joško, JožaCzech: Josef, Diminutives: Pepa, Pepík, Pepik, Jožka, Pepan, Pepča, Pepek, Pepino, JožinDanish: JosefDutch: Jozef, Joep, Joost, Jos, Jo, Jef, Seppe, JosephusEnglish: Joseph, Joe, JoeyEsperanto: JozefoEstonian: Joosep, JoosuFaroese: JósefFinnish: Jooseppi, JuusoFrench: Joseph, JoéFriulian: Bepi, Bepo, BepùtGalician: XoséGeorgian: იოსებ (Ioseb), სოსო ("Soso")German: Josef, Joseph; Jupp (familiar); Sepp, Seppl or Pepi (familiar or diminutive forms, particularly in South Germany and Austria)Greek: Ἰωσήφ (Iōséph), Ἰώσηπος (Iosepos), (Iosipos)Gujarati: જોસેફ (Jōsēpha)Hebrew: יוסף (Yosef), יוסי ("Yossi"/"Joey")Hiligaynon: José, Josef, Josep (rare)Hindi: यूसुफ (Yūsuf)Hungarian: Jóska, JózsefIcelandic: Jósef (pronounced "YO-sef"), Jósep (pronounced "YO-sep")Igbo: Yôsēp̄, Yossef, JosefIndonesian: Yoseph, Yosep, Yusuf, Yusup, Ucup, Josef, JosephInterlingua: JosephItalian: Giuseppe, Giù, Beppe, Peppe, Peppino, Pino, Bepi, Beppo, Pippo, Puccio, GioseffoIrish: Seosamh, IósafJapanese: ヨセフ (Yosefu), ジョセフ (Jyosefu)Kambaata language, Ethiopia: Yeseffe, Yese, Josse, JossyKannada: ಜೋಸೆಫ್ (Jōseph)Kazakh: Yusuf, JusipKhmer: យ៉ូសែប (Yousaep)Korean: 요셉 (Yosep), 조셉 '('Joseb)Kyrgyz: Жусуп (Dzhusup)Latin: IOSEPHUSLatvian: JāzepsLimburgish: Joep, SefLithuanian: Juozapas, Juozas (shorter form), Juzas (shortest form)Lombard: Giüsèpp, Pèpp, BèppMacedonian: Јосиф (J̌osif)Malayalam: ജോസപ്പ് (Josapp) or ജോസപ്പൻ (Josappan), ഔസേപ്പ് (Ousepp), യോസേപ്പ് (Yosef), ഔസേപച്ചന് (Ouseppachen), കൊച്ചാപ്പു (Kochaappu), ഈപ്പൻ (Eappan), ഈപ്പച്ചൻ (Eappachan), ജോസഫ് (Jēāsaph)Malaysian: Yusuf, Yusop, Yusoff, Jusoh, UsopManado Malay: Josef, Yosef, Oce'Maltese: Ġużeppi, Ġużi, Ġuż, Ġużè, Peppi, Peppu, Peppinu, Pepp, Żeppi, Żeppu, ŻeppMandarin: simplified Chinese: 约瑟; traditional Chinese: 約瑟; pinyin: (Yuēsè), simplified Chinese: 约瑟夫; traditional Chinese: 約瑟夫; pinyin: (Yuēsèfū), 玉素甫 (Yùsùfǔ), Zho-Zi-FuMarathi: योसेफMaori: JohepaMongolian: Иосеф (Iosyef)Nepali: यूसुफ (Yūsupha)Norwegian: JosefOccitan: JosèpPersian: يوسف (Yūsuf, Youssef, Yussef)Polish: Józef (Yu-zef), Diminutive: Józek, JózioPortuguese: José, Josefo, Zé, Zezé (the last two are nicknames)Provençal: JóusèPunjabi: ਯੂਸੁਫ਼ (Yūsufa)Quechua: HusiyRomanian: IosifRussian: Иосиф (Iosif), Осип ("Osip")Samoan: IosefaSardinian: JisepuScottish Gaelic: SeòsaidhSerbian: Јосиф (Josif), Јосеф (Josef), Јозеф (Jozef)Sepedi: JosefaSicilian: GiuseppiSinhala: ජොසේ (Jose), ජෝසේෆ් (Jōsēf)Slovak: Jozef, Jožo, Dodo, ĎoďoSlovene: Jožef, JožeSpanish: José, Pepe, Chepe, CheSundanese: Yusup, Usup, UcupSwedish: JosefSylheti: য়ুসুফ (Yusuf)Syriac: ܝܘܣܦ (Yausef, Yausep)Tagalog: Jose, Pepe, Peping,Tamil: ஜோசப் (Jōcap, Josef), யொசெப் (Yocep, Yosef)Telugu: జోసెఫ్స్ (Jōsephs)Thai: โจเซฟ (Co sef, Josef)Turkish: Yusuf, YasefUkrainian: Йосип (Yosyp)Urdu: يوسف (Yūsuf)Uzbek: Иосиф (Iosif)Valencian: JosepVenetian: Juxepe (pronounced as "Giusepe" or "Iusepe"), Bepi, BepinVietnamese: Giu-se or Giô-xếp or Yuse or Giô-sépWelsh: JoseffYiddish: Yissl, Yussel, JayzlYoruba: Josefu, Yesufu, YusufShona: Joze, JozaZulu: JosephAlbanian: Jozefina, ZefinaEnglish: Jo, Josephine, JoetteFrench: JoséphineIrish: SeosaimhínItalian: GiuseppinaCatalan : Josepa, Pepa (shortened)Polish : Józefina (Yo-zef-yna)Portuguese: Josefa, Josefina, José (mainly in the compound Maria José), Zezé (nickname)Spanish: Josefa, JosefinaGreek: Ιωσηφίνα (Iosiphina)Croatian: JosipaMaltese: Ġuża, ĠużeppaSwedish: Josefin, Josefine, JosephineNorwegian: Josefine, JosephineYiddish: Jayzl, YisslJoseph (patriarch), son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible book of GenesisSaint Joseph, husband of Mary the mother of JesusJoseph of Arimathea, secret disciple of JesusAustriaJoseph I, Holy Roman EmperorJoseph II of AustriaFranz Joseph I of AustriaPortugalJoseph I of Portugal, King of PortugalJoseph, Prince of BrazilJoseph, General Inquisitor (1720–1801) – a natural son of King John V of Portugal, one of the Children of Palhavã.Spain/Italy/FranceJoseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of NaplesOtherMaximilian III Joseph, Elector of BavariaMaximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King of BavariaJoseph (Khazar), king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960sJoseph (Petrovykh) (1872–1937), metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox ChurchJoseph Albrier, French painterJoe Alexander (American football), American 2x All-Pro NFL football playerJoe Biden, Vice President of the United States of AmericaJoseph Brodsky, Russian and American poet and essayistJoseph Carraro, Independent State Senator from New MexicoChief Joseph, Nez Perce tribal leaderJoe Choynski ("Chrysanthemum Joe"), American heavyweight Hall of Fame boxerJoe Clancy, American football playerHarry Connick, Jr. (Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.), American singer, actor and pianistJoseph Connors, American art historianJoseph Conrad, Polish-British writerJoseph Cook, Prime Minister of AustraliaJoseph Daye, AFL footballer for the Gold Coast Suns.Joseph Dempsie, British actorJoseph Dennie, American writerJosef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historianJoe DiMaggio, New York Yankees hall of famerJoe Dolan, Irish Showband singerJoseph W. Esherick, American historian of ChinaJoseph Estrada, 13th President of the PhilippinesJoseph Fenton, informer killed by the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyJoseph Fitzgerald (disambiguation), multiple peopleJoe Garagiola, American baseball player and broadcasterJoseph Gelfer, British researcher in religion and masculinitiesJoe Gomez, English footballerJoseph Glidden, created barbed wireJoseph Goebbels, Propaganda minister of Nazi GermanyJoseph Gordon-Levitt, American actorJoseph Hagerty, American gymnastJoe Hart, English football playerJoseph Haydn, Austrian composerJoseph Heller, American authorJoseph Dalton Hooker, British botanistJoe Horlen, American major league baseball All Star pitcherJoe Jacobi, American Olympic champion canoer, Canadian slalom pairsJoe Jacobson, Wales soccer player (Oldham Athletic & U21 national team)Joe Jonas, lead vocals from the Jonas BrothersJosef Jungmann, Czech poet and linguistJoseph Kabui, first President of the Autonomous Region of BougainvilleJoseph Kaiser, Canadian opera singerJusuf Kalla, 10th Vice President of Indonesia from 2004 to 2009Joe Kaminer, South African rugby union national teamJoe Katchik, American football playerJoe Keeble, American football playerJoseph Koo, Hong Kong composer and arrangerJoe Lamas, American football playerJoe Lieberman, US Senator from ConnecticutJoseph Lyons, Prime Minister of AustraliaJoseph B. MacInnis (born 1937), Canadian physician, underwater diver and authorJoe Magidsohn, Russian, American football playerJoseph Marwa, Tanzanian boxerJoe Mauer, American Baseball Player and AL MVPJoseph Mazzello, American actorJoseph McCarthy, US Senator from WisconsinJoe McElderry, British singer and winner of The X Factor (UK Series 6)Joe McGlone (1896–1963), American football playerJoseph Carey Merrick, the "Elephant Man"Joseph Mengele, Nazi scientistJoe Minucci (born 1981), American football playerJoe Montana, Hall of Fame NFL quarterbackJoseph Nicéphore Niépce, first person to create a permanent photographJoseph Oliver (disambiguation), multiple peopleJoe O'Malley, American football playerJoseph Oosting, Dutch football (soccer) playerJoseph Paulo, New Zealand Rugby League playerJoe Pasquale, winner of the 4th series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!Joe Paterno, Penn State football coach with the most all time Division I winsJoe Pavelski (born 1984), American professional ice hockey playerJoe Perry, Aerosmith lead guitaristJoe Picker (born 1987), Australian Rugby League playerJoseph Pickett, American painterJoseph Planta (librarian) (1744–1828), Swiss Principal Librarian of the British Museum, and his son Sir Joseph Planta (1787–1847), English politicianJoe the Plumber, figure mentioned at least 20 times during the 2008 US presidential debatesJoe Prokop (born 1960), American football playerJoe Prokop (halfback) (1921–1995), American football playerJoseph Ponniah, 1st Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of BatticaloaJoseph Ratzinger, given name of Pope Benedict XVIJoe Righetti (born 1947), American football playerJoe Root, a 19th-century American naturalist from Erie, PennsylvaniaJoseph Sarvananthan, Sri Lankan Tamil Anglican priestJoe Satriani, instrumental rock guitaristJoe Sevario, American politicianJoe Schilling, American kickboxerJoseph Simmons, a.k.a. DJ Run, of rap group Run-DMCJoseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movementJoseph Smith, III, son of Joseph Smith and an American Mormon.Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953Joe Stringfellow (1918–1992), American football playerJoe Toye, American World War II veteranJoseph Ualesi, Australian Rugby League playerJoseph Valtellini (born 1985), Canadian kickboxerJoseph Vaz, Indian Catholic priest, "Apostle of Sri Lanka"Joe Vetrano (1918–1995), American football playerJoseph Vijay, Tamil actorJoe Vodicka, American football playerJoseph Wapasha, Mdewakanton Sioux chiefJoss Whedon, American screenwriter, director and executive producerJoe Winkler (1922–2001), American football playerJoseph Wiseman (1918–2009), Canadian actorRayappu Joseph, 2nd Bishop of MannarSeosamh Ó Cuaig, Irish politicianSeosamh Ó Duibhginn, Irish editorSeosamh Ó hÉanaí, Irish singerSeosamh Laoide, Irish scholarSeosamh Mac Cathmhaoil, Irish poetSeosamh Mac Grianna, Irish writerJosef (Czech variant name Joseph) was the most frequent name in the Czech Lands up to year 1951.
