Joseph Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity

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Origin, Meaning, And History Of Joseph

Joseph is a popular masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Yosef meaning ‘God will increase,’ ‘He will add’ or ‘praise.’ Joseph and Josef are commonly used in French, English, and to a certain degree in German. Recent Scandinavian languages employ a different spelling variation of this name. It is also known as Jose in Spanish and Portuguese. In Arabic, it is spelled as Yusuf as mentioned in the Quran, while Yousef is the variant in Persian.

Joseph has remained one of the most popular names in the United States that has many sought-after variants in many countries. For example, it is popularly known as Yossef or Yossi in Israel, while it is called Giuseppe in Italy. Joseph was the second most common male name for Jews living in Palestine during the first century A.D.

In the Old Testament, Joseph is a prominent figure that appears in the Book of Genesis as the eldest son of Rachel and Jacob. He is considered the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Joseph. In the New Testament, Joseph is the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus from Nazareth. According to Christianity, he is the patron of workers, married couples, people in exile, and the sick and dying.

Jo, Joe, Jody, Joey, Josey, Sepp, Jupp, and Seppel are the diminutives, while Josepha, Joséphine, Josèphe, and Josée are the feminine forms of Joseph. Some popular variants in different languages and cultures include Jozef, Zef, Youcef, Ioseph, Jusuf, Yusup, Jose, Josephus, Giuseppe, Giusi, and Josip.

In fiction, Joseph Joestar is a protagonist from the popular Japanese manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure created by Hirohiko Araki. He is also portrayed as the main character of the second storyline named Battle Tendency. Finally, Joseph Seed is a character from the famous first-person shooter video game franchise Far Cry.

Joseph

Meaning He will add; Praise

Gender Boy

Religion Christianity, Judaism

Origin Hebrew

Lucky Number 1

Syllables Two

Length 1 word, 6 letters, 2 vowels, 4 consonants

Type Medium length and easy to pronounce

How To Pronounce Joseph?

Pronounced as jo-seph

The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.

Listen to the sound of the name Joseph in English.

Famous People With The Name Joseph

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr./ Joe BidenAmerican politician, the 46th president of the US
Joseph Roland BarberaAmerican animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, co-founded the animation studio and production company “Hanna-Barbera”
Joseph ConradPolish-British novelist and short story writer, known for his 1899 novel “Heart of Darkness”
Joseph Leonard Gordon-LevittAmerican actor, known for his roles in “500 Days of Summer”, “50/50,” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Michael Joseph JacksonAmerican singer, songwriter, and dancer, dubbed the “King of Pop”

Joseph On The Popularity Chart

We all know that Joseph is one of the popular names around. Let us see how it fared over the years from the data provided by the Social Security Administration.

Popularity Over Time

Joseph has been one of the popular names but its usage has been declining since 2004. In 2021, 8067 babies per million shared this title.

Source: Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

Going by the chart, the ranking of Joseph peaked in the early 1980s before gradually declining over the years. As of 2021, it is ranked at 17572.

Source: Social Security Administration

Joseph On MomJunction Popularity Chart

Know how popular the name Joseph is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.

Names With Similar Sound As Joseph

If you want to consider a different name that is similar sounding in nature to Joseph, have a look at the suggestions provided.

Popular Sibling Names For Joseph

If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with Joseph, check our suggestions here.

Boy Sibling Names For Joseph

Find matching brother names for Joseph and create a wonderful team of siblings.

Girl Sibling Names For Joseph

Looking for some suitable sister names for Joseph? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.

Other Popular Names Beginning With J

Looking for more baby names starting with the letter J to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.

Jac

Names With Same Meaning As Joseph

As a popular name for centuries, there are many variations of Joseph that have the same meaning. Here are a few such examples.

Popular Songs On The Name Joseph

Joseph has a lyrical presence in various songs. Check them out here.

Song	Artist
Joseph Joestar Theme (Overdrive) - Cover	Samuel Kim
Joseph All The Time	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Joseph Megamix	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Joseph All The Time	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Go, Go, Go Joseph	Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Joseph Megamix	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Joseph	Bad Bad Hats

Acrostic Poem On Joseph

Dive into the lyrical charm of the name Joseph with this acrostic poem. Witness how each letter paints together a story, capturing the name’s individuality, strength, vitality, and sophistication. Inspiring, is it? Why not try a similar poem that describes what you think of your baby’s personality?

Jewel of our eyes.

Optimistic always, just like a ray of sunshine in the morning.

Spirited and strong, you are like a motivating song.

Eloquent mind blessed with the gift of gab.

Pure-hearted with a mind that’s sorted.

Humble heart, showing no trace of pride.

Joseph’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name Joseph. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.

Zodiac Sign (Rashi)

As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.

Rashi (zodiac sign)	Makar (Capricorn)
Starting letters for Makar (Capricorn) rashi	KH, J
Representation	Crocodile
Element	Earth
Ruling body	Saturn
Quality	Movable

Birth Star (Nakshatra)

Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.

The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Makar (Capricorn) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.

Nakshatra	Degrees Of The Nakshatra	Nakshatra Lord (Ruler)	Name Syllables
Utharashada (Utharadam)	Capricorn (0 to 10 degrees)	Sun	Be, Bo, Ja, Ji, Bha, Bhe, Bho, Jaa, Jee
Sravana (Shravana, Thiruvonam)	Capricorn (10 to 23.20 degrees)	Moon	Ju, Je, Jo, Khi, So, Khu, Khe, Kho
Dhanishta (Avittam)	Capricorn (23.20 to 30 degrees)	Mars	Ga, Gi, Gu, Ge, Gee

Infographic: Know The Name Joseph‘s Personality As Per Numerology

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Joseph In Different Languages

It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell Joseph in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying Joseph, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!

Name	Language	Code
Joseph	English	en
约瑟夫	Chinese	zh-CN
यूसुफ	Hindi	hi
Joseph	Spanish	es
Joseph	French	fr
جوزيف	Arabic	ar
জোসেফ	Bengali	bn
Joseph	Portuguese	pt
Джозеф	Russian	ru
جوزف	Urdu	ur
Joseph	Indonesian	id
Joseph	German	de
ジョセフ	Japanese	ja
यूसुफ	Marathi	mr
జోసెఫ్	Telugu	te
Joseph	Turkish	tr
ஜோசப்	Tamil	ta
Joseph	Vietnamese	vi
Joseph	Tagalog	tl
조셉	Korean	ko
Joseph	Hausa	ha
Joseph	Swahili	sw
Joseph	Javanese	jv
Joseph	Italian	it
ਜੋਸਫ਼	Punjabi	pa
જોસેફ	Gujarati	gu
โจเซฟ	Thai	th
ಜೋಸೆಫ್	Kannada	kn
ዮሴፍ	Amharic	am
यूसुफ	Bhojpuri	bho
Joseph	Yoruba	yo

How To Communicate The Name Joseph In Sign Languages

In Nautical Flags

joseph

In Sign Language

joseph

In Braille Alphabet

joseph

In Morse Code

joseph

Name Numerology For Joseph

Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name Joseph, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.

Baby Name Lists Containing Joseph

Read through our baby name lists that include the name Joseph and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?

Movie Titles Inspired By The Name Joseph

Discover the presence of Joseph in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.

Movie title	Other titles	Release year
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers	A Integridade de Joseph Chambers, Joseph Chambers becsülete, La integridad de Joseph Chambers, Смертельная охота	2022
Who Killed Joseph Smith?		2022
Social Media Monster	Fat Loser's Always Lose, Jordan's Regret, Nowhere Man - St. Joseph, Sally's Revenge, Trolltastic	2021
Tomb of Joseph		2021
Bar Joseph	Bar Giuseppe	2019
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People	Citizen Pulitzer's World	2018
Joseph		2018
The Son of Joseph	Le fils de Joseph, O Filho de Joseph, Syn Józefa, Сын Иосифа, 我爸是若瑟	2016

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Joseph?

The name Joseph means yahweh will add in hebrew, god will multiply, and derived from the element ‘yacaph’ meaning to add, to increase.

2. What is the origin of the name Joseph?

Joseph has a Hebrew origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Joseph?

Joseph is pronounced as jo-seph.

4. What are some interesting trivia or facts associated with the name Joseph?

Joseph is one of the most popular baby boy names in many countries. According to The Jewish Encyclopedia, Joseph is a theophoric name spelled as Jehoseph. Owing to its religious association, the name was borne by many rulers in history. Notable bearers include the likes of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I, King of Portugal, and Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Spain.

5. Are there any notable variations of Joseph in different languages?

Notable variations of Joseph in different languages and cultures include Jozef, Zef (Albanian), Yousef, Youssef, Yusef, Yusuf (Arabic), Ioseph, Ioses (Biblical Greek), Jose, Pepe, Pepito (Portuguese), Yossel (Yiddish), and Jooseppi, Juuso (Finnish).

6. What are some potential nicknames for the name Joseph?

Some potential nicknames that can go well with Joseph include Joe, Joey, Jos, J, Jay, Josie, Jojey, Jose and Jojo.

7. What are some middle names that go well with Joseph?

Joseph is a versatile masculine name that goes well with almost every title. For instance, it can pair with traditional biblical names like Michael, Abraham, Daniel, Simons, and Peter, providing religious connotations. Besides, they can also pair with two-syllable middle names to create a melodic naming pattern. Some examples include titles such as Adam, Billy, Chester, and Darcy.

8. What are some positive qualities associated with the name Joseph?

Some positive attributes associated with the name Joseph include leadership qualities and the ability to take control of their situation. People named Joseph are also known for having a solid and confident personality, which can help them achieve more significant goals in their future. Lastly, they are compassionate, have a big heart, and are known for their willingness to help others.

Look Up For Many More Names

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