Joseph is a common male

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

, derived from the Hebrew

Yosef Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yadah meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ...

(יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic countries. In

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, the name is "

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

". In

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, including in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

, the name is spelled ''

Yūsuf Yusuf ( ar, يوسف, ; Arabic synonym of "Joseph") is the 12th chapter (Surah) of the Quran and has 111 Ayahs (verses). It is preceded by sūrah Hud and followed by Ar-Ra’d (The thunder). Regarding the timing and contextual background of ...

''. In

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, the name is "Yousef". The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and ''Joseph'' was one of the two names, along with ''

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

'', 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. In the first century CE, Joseph was the second most popular male name for Palestine Jews. In the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

's eleventh son and

Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

's first son, and known in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

Yossef Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yadah meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ...

ben-

Yaakov Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

. In the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

the most notable two are

, the husband of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, the mother of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

; and

Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several t ...

, a secret disciple of Jesus who supplied the tomb in which Jesus was buried.

Etymology

The Bible offers two explanations of the name ''Yosef:'' first, it is compared to the word ''asaf'' from the root /'sp/, "taken away": "And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God hath ''taken away'' my reproach"; ''Yosef'' is then identified with the similar root /ysp/, meaning "add": "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall ''add'' to me another son."Friedman, R. E., ''The Bible with Sources Revealed'' (2003), p. 80 ''

The Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

'' says that it is a

theophoric A theophoric name (from Greek language, Greek: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or God's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relat ...

name referencing

YHWH The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', ''waw'', and '' ...

. The name can also consist of the Hebrew ''yadah'' meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ''asaf''.

Variants, diminutives and familiar forms in other languages

Variations for males include: *

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

: Josef, Joesoef *

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

: Jozë ''(indefinite)'', Joza ''(definite)'', Zef ''(indef.)'', Zefi ''(def.)'', Josif ''(indef.)'', Josifi ''(def.)'', Isuf ''(indef.)'', Isufi ''(def.)'', Bibë ''(indef.)'', Biba ''(def.)'' * Alemmanic: Sepp, Seppu * Alsatian: Sepp *

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ዮሴፍ (''Yosēfi'') *

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

: Հովսեփ, Յովսէփ (''Hovsep'') *

: يوسف (''Yūsif'', ''Youssef'', ''Yussef'', ''Yousif, Yousef'', ''Youssof'', ''Yūsuf'') * Azerbaijani: Yusif, Yusuf, Usub *

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

: Joseba, Josepe * Bavarian: Sepp, Bepperl, Beppe, Beppi, * Belarusian: Іосіф (''Iosif''), Язэп (''Jazep'') *

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: ইউসুফ (''Iusuf'' or ''Yusuf'') (Islamic), জোসেফ (''Josef'') (Christian) * Bosnian: Josip, Jusuf *

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

: Jozef, Jozeb *

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: Йосиф (''Yosif'') * Burmese (Myanmar): ယောသပ်သည် (''Yaw sautsai'') *

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

: 約瑟 (''Joek³ sat¹'') *

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

: Josep, Pep (shortened form), Jep (an alternative shortened form) * Circassian: Юсыф (''Yusyf'') * Cornish: Josep * Corsican: Ghjaseppu, Ghjiseppu * Croatian: Josip, Joso, Jozo, Joza, Joze, Joško, Joža, Jože, Bepo, Bepi, Bapi, Pino, Osíp, Bozo, Gonzo, Ganso *

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

: Josef; Diminutives: Pepa, Peppa, Pepík, Pepik, Jožka, Pepan, Pepča, Pepek, Pepino, Jožin *

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

: Josef *

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: Jozef, Josephus; Diminutives: Joep, Joost, Jos, Jo, Jef, Seppe *

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: Joseph, Diminutives: Joe, Joey *

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

: Jozefo * Estonian: Joosep, Joosu * Faroese: Jósef * Fijian: Josefa *

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

: Joseph, José, Pepe, Peping, Sep, Jojo *

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

: Jooseppi, Juuso * French: José, Joseph, Jojo * Friulian: Josef, 'Sef, 'Sefin, 'Sefut, Bepi, Bepo, Beput * Galician: Xosé *

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

: იოსებ (''Ioseb''), სოსო ("''Soso''") *

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: Josef, Joseph; Jupp (familiar); Sepp, Seppl or Pepi (familiar or diminutive forms, particularly in South Germany and Austria) *

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ιωσήφ (''Iosif''), Ιώσηπος (''Iosipos''), Σήφης ("''Sifis''") (local in Crete) *

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

: જોસેફ (''Jōsēfa'') * Hawaiian (''Iokepa'') * (''Yosef''), יוסי ("''Yossi''", diminutive) * Hiligaynon: José, Josef, Josep (rare) *

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

: यूसुफ (''Yūsuf'') * Hungarian: József; Jóska, Józsi (diminutive) * Icelandic: Jósef, Jói *

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

: Yôsēp̄, Yossef, Josef *

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: Yoseph, Yosep, Yusuf, Yosef, Yusup, Jusuf, Joesoef, Josef, Joseph *

Interlingua Interlingua (; ISO 639 language codes ia, ina) is an international auxiliary language (IAL) developed between 1937 and 1951 by the American International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA). It ranks among the most widely used IALs and is t ...

: Joseph *

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: Giuseppe, Giù, Beppe, Peppe, Peppino, Pepino, Pino, Bepi, Beppo, Pippo, Puccio, Gioseffo, Gio or Giò *

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: Seosamh, Iósaf *

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ヨセフ (''Yosefu''), ジョセフ (''Josefu'') * Kambaata, Ethiopia: Yeseffe, Yese, Josse, Jossy *

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

: ಜೋಸೆಫ್ (''Jōseph'') * Kazakh: Yusuf, Jusip * Khmer: យ៉ូសែប (''Yousaep'') *

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 요셉 (''Yosep''), 조셉 (''Joseb'') *

Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan *Kyrgyz people *Kyrgyz national games *Kyrgyz language *Kyrgyz culture *Kyrgyz cuisine *Yenisei Kirghiz *The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China ...

: Жусуп (''Jusup'') *

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Iōsēph, Iōsēphus * Latvian:

Jāzeps Jāzeps is a Latvian masculine given name. It is a cognate of the given name Joseph. People bearing the name include: * Jāzeps Grosvalds (1891–1920), Latvian painter * Jāzeps Pīgoznis (1934–2014), Latvian painter *Jāzeps Vītols Jāze ...

, Jozefs, Josefs, Josifs, Džozefs, Žozefs, Jusufs, Jozis, Zeps, Seps *

Limburgish Limburgish ( li, Limburgs or ; nl, Limburgs ; german: Limburgisch ; french: Limbourgeois ), also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic, is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg (Netherlands), L ...

: Joep, Sef * Lithuanian: Juozapas, Juozas (shorter form), Juzas, Juzė (diminutive), Justas * Lombard: Giüsèpp, Pèpp, Pèpa, Pèppa, Bèpp * Macedonian: Јосиф (''J̌osif'') *

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

: ജോസപ്പ് (''Josapp'') or ജോസപ്പൻ (''Josappan''), ഔസേപ്പ് (''Ousepp''), യോസേപ്പ് (''Yosef''), ഔസേപച്ചന്‍ (''Ouseppachen''), കൊച്ചാപ്പു (''Kochaappu''), ഈപ്പൻ (''Eappan''), ഈപ്പച്ചൻ (''Eappachan''), ജോസഫ് (''Jēāsaph'') *

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

: Yusuf, Yusop, Yusoff, Jusoh, Eusoff, Usop *

Manado Malay Manado Malay, or simply the Manado language, is a creole language spoken in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province in Indonesia, and the surrounding area. The local name of the language is , and the name Minahasa Malay is also used, afte ...

: Josef, Yosef, Oce' * Maltese: Ġużeppi, Ġużi, Ġuż, Ġużè, Peppi, Peppu, Peppinu, Pepp, Peppa, Pepa, Żeppi, Żeppu, Żepp *

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

: , , 玉素甫 (''Yùsùfǔ''), ''Zho-Zi-Fu'' *

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

: योसेफ (''Jōsēfa'') *

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

: Hohepa * Mongolian: Иосеф (''Iosyef'') * Nepali: यूसुफ (''Yūsupha'') *

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

: Josef *

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

: Josèp *

: يوسف (''Youssef'', ''Yūsuf'', ''Yussef'') *

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: Józef, Józek (diminutive), Józio (diminutive) *

: José, Josefo,In Portuguese,

Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

, the author of the

Jewish Antiquities ''Antiquities of the Jews'' ( la, Antiquitates Iudaicae; el, Ἰουδαϊκὴ ἀρχαιολογία, ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the re ...

is known as Flávio Josefo. Diminutive forms: Zé, Zeca, Zezé * Provençal dialect, Provençal: Jóusè * Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਯੂਸੁਫ਼ (''Yūsufa'') * Quechua language, Quechua: Husiy * Romanian language, Romanian: Iosif, Iosub * Romansh language, Romansch: Giusep, Gisep, Giusi, Sepp * Russian language, Russian: Иосиф (''Iosif''), Осип ("''Osip''"), Пеппа (''Peppa'') * Samoan language, Samoan: Iosefa, Sefa * Sardinian language, Sardinian: Josepe, Zosepe, Gisepu * Scottish Gaelic: Seòsaidh * Serbian language, Serbian: Јосиф (''Josif''), Јосеф (''Josef''), Јозеф (''Jozef'') * Sepedi: Josefa * Sicilian language, Sicilian: Giuseppi * Silesian language, Silesian: Zefel, Zeflik (diminutive) * Singapore: Joseph * Sinhala language, Sinhala: ජුසේ (''Juse''), ජෝසේෆ් (''Jōsēf'') * Slovak language, Slovak: Jozef, Jožo, Dodo, Ďoďo, Dodô, Doido * Slovene language, Slovene: Jožef, Jože * Somali language, Somali: Yuusuf, يوسف *

; hypocoristic versions: Pepe, Chepe, Che, Cheo, Chelo * Sundanese language, Sundanese: Yusup, Yosep * Swahili language, Swahili: Yusuph, Yusufu, Yosefu * Swedish language, Swedish: Josef * Sylheti language, Sylheti: য়ুসুফ (''Yusuf'') * Syriac language, Syriac: ܝܘܣܦ (''Yosip, Yausef, Ossi'') * Tagalog language, Tagalog: Jose, Pepe, Peping * Tamil language, Tamil: சூசை (''sūsai''), யோசேப்பு (''yōcēppu'') * Tajik language, Tajik: Юсуф (''Yusuf'') * Telugu language, Telugu: యోసేపు (''Yōsepu'') * Thai language, Thai: โจเซฟ (''Co sef'', Josef) * Tongan language, Tongan: Siosefa * Turkish language, Turkish: Yusuf * Turkmen language, Turkmen: Yusup * Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Йосип (''Josyp''), Осип (''Osyp'') * (''Yūsuf'') * Uzbek language, Uzbek: Yusuf * Valencian language, Valencian: Josep * Venetian language, Venetian: Juxepe, Bepi, Bepin, Bapi * Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Giu-se or Giô-xếp or Yuse or Giô-sép * Vilamovian: Juza * Welsh language, Welsh: Joseff * Yiddish: Yissl, Yussel, Jayzl * Yoruba language, Yoruba: Josefu, Yusufu * Shona language, Shona: Joze, Joza * Zulu language, Zulu: uJosef

Female forms

: Jozefina, Zefina *

: Josepa, Pepa, Peppa (shortened) * Cornish: Josepa * Croatian: Josipa, Josica, Jozica *

: Josefina, Josefa, Jozeva *

: José, Josefien *

: Jo, Josephine, Joette, Posy, Posie * French: Joséphine * Friulian language, Friulian: Josefe, 'Sefe, Pine *

: Ιωσηφίνα (''Iosiphina'') * Hungarian: Jozefa, Jozefina, Józsa *

: Seosaimhín *

: Giuseppa, Giuseppina * Maltese: Ġuża, Ġużeppa *

: Josefine, Josephine *

: Józefina *

: Josefa, Josefina, José (mainly in the compound Maria José), Zezé (nickname) * Romansh language, Romansh: Giuseppa, Giuseppina * Samoan language, Samoan: Iosefina * Sardinian language, Sardinian: Josepa, Zosepa, Zosepedda * Slovak language, Slovak: Jozefína, Jozefa *

: Josefa, Josefina, Josefita * Swedish language, Swedish: Josefin, Josefine, Josephine * Yiddish: Jayzl, Yissl

People

Biblical figures

* Joseph (patriarch), son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis * Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus *

, secret disciple of Jesus * Joseph Barsabbas, one of two candidates to replace Judas Iscariot's position among the Twelve Apostles * Caiaphas, Joseph ben Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest related to the crucifixion of Jesus. Only written as 'Caiaphas' in the

Royalty

* Austria ** Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor ** Joseph II of Austria ** Franz Joseph I of Austria ** Archduke Joseph August of Austria ** Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria * Portugal ** Joseph I of Portugal, King of Portugal ** Joseph, Prince of Brazil ** Children of Palhavã, Joseph, General Inquisitor (1720–1801) – a natural son of King John V of Portugal, one of the ''Children of Palhavã''. * Spain/Italy/France ** Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples * Other ** Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria ** Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King of Bavaria ** Joseph (Khazar), king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s ** Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Spain

Politics

* Chief Joseph (1840–1904), Nez Perce tribal leader * John Joseph Abercrombie (1798–1877), career United States Army officer and brigadier general * Joseph Arthur Ankrah (1915–1992), 2nd president of Ghana from 1966–1969 * Jusuf Anwar (1941–2015), Indonesian politician and diplomat * Joe Biden, Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden (born 1942), 46th and current president of the United States (2021–present); 47th vice president of the United States (2009–2017); U.S. senator from Delaware (1973–2009) * Beau Biden, Joseph "Beau" Robinette Biden (1969–2015), American lawyer, soldier and politician, son of Joe Biden * Joseph Carraro (born 1944), State Senator from New Mexico * Joseph Caillaux, French politician and Minister of France * Joseph Cook (1860–1947), 6th Prime Minister of Australia * Joseph Dudley, British military commander and colonial administrator, notable during colonization of Americas * Joseph Estrada (born 1937), 13th president of the Philippines * J. I. Gnanamuttu, Joseph Isaac Gnanamuttu (died 1944), Sri Lankan Tamil people, Sri Lankan Tamil politician * Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), German politician and propaganda minister of Nazi Germany * Joseph Hemphill (1770-1842), U.S. Congressman *Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, French Canadian military officer * Joseph Kabila, Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Joseph Kabui (1954–2008), first president of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville * Jusuf Kalla (born 1942), 10th vice president of Indonesia (2004–2009); 12th vice president of Indonesia (2014–2019) * Joseph P. Kennedy (1888–1969), American businessman, financier and politician * Joseph P. Kennedy II (born 1952), oldest son of Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and former Congressman from Massachusetts, 1987–1999 * Joe Kennedy III, Joe Kennedy (born 1980), son of Joseph P. Kennedy II and Congressman from Massachusetts, 2013–present * Joe Kennedy (Georgia politician) (1930–1997), American politician from Georgia * Joseph Abu Khalil (1925–2019), Lebanese politician and journalist * Joe Lieberman (born 1942), US Senator from Connecticut * Joseph Lyons (1879–1939), 10th Prime Minister of Australia * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), French diplomat * Joseph McCarthy (1908–1957), US Senator from Wisconsin * Joseph Henry Mensah (1928–2018), Ghanaian economist and politician * Joseph Bennet Odunton (1920–2004), Ghanaian civil servant * Joseph Michael Perera (born 1941), Sri Lankan politician * J. Y. Pillay, Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay (born 1934), Singaporean civil servant * Sir Joseph Planta (1787–1847), English politician * Joseph Schmid, Joseph "Beppo" Schmid, Air force general in Nazi Germany * Joseph Hill Sinex (1819-1892), Pennsylvania State Representative * Joseph Howland (1834–1886), American general, politician, and philanthropist * Joseph Stalin (1878–1953), General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1953) * Joseph Vidal (1933–2020), French politician * Joseph Wapasha (c. 1816–1876), Mdewakanton Sioux chief

Arts and entertainment

* Joseph Albrier, French painter * Joe Alwyn, British actor * Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist * Joseph Bertolozzi (born 1959), American composer * Joseph Beuys, German artist * Joseph Bitangcol, Filipino actor * Joseph Brodsky, Russian and American poet and essayist * Harry Connick, Jr. (Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.), American singer, actor and pianist * Joseph Connors, American art historian * Joseph Conrad, Polish-British writer * Joseph Cotten, American actor * Joseph Dempsie, British actor * Joseph Dennie, American writer * Joe Dolan, Irish showband singer * Joseph Garrett (born 1990), known online as stampylonghead, British YouTube personality * Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor * Tally Hall (band), Joe Hawley, American singer, songwriter, and musician * Joseph Hahn, American musician * Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer * Joseph Heller, American author * Michael Joseph Jackson (1958–2009), American singer * Joe Jonas, lead vocals, the Jonas Brothers * Josef Jungmann, Czech poet and linguist * Joseph Kaiser, Canadian opera singer * Joseph Koo, Hong Kong composer and arranger * Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American film director, producer and screenwriter * Joseph May, British-born Canadian-American actor * Joseph Mazzello, American actor * Joe McElderry, British singer and winner of ''The X Factor'' * Joseph Carey Merrick, the "Elephant Man" * Joseph Peter Moraes Fernando, also known as Premnath Moraes (1923–1998), Sri Lankan Tamil actor, film director and screenwriter * Joseph Nevels, also known as JSPH (singer), JSPH, singer/songwriter * Joe Pasquale, winner of the 4th series of ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'' * Joe Pesci, American actor * Joe Ranft, American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor * Joe Root, English cricketer * Joe Ruby (born 1933), American cartoonist and producer * Joe Strummer, English musician * Joseph Pickett (painter), Joseph Pickett, American painter * Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry, Aerosmith lead guitarist * Joe Satriani, instrumental rock guitarist * Joseph Simmons, aka DJ Run, of rap group Run-DMC * Joseph Simmons (guitarist), American guitarist * Joe Sugg, British YouTuber * The Anime Man, Joseph Tetsuro Bizinger, known online as The Anime Man, Japanese Australian YouTuber, voice actor, songwriter, and podcaster * Joseph Vijay, Tamil actor * Joss Whedon, American screenwriter, director and producer * Joseph Wiseman (1918–2009), Canadian actor

Sports

* Joe Alexander (American football), Joseph "Doc" Alexander, American NFL football player and coach * Roman Reigns, Joseph Anoa'i, Samoan-American wrestler * Joseph Charlton (born 1997), American football player * Joe Choynski, American boxer * Joe Clancy, American football player * Joseph Daye, Australian footballer * Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player * Joe Frazier, American boxer * Joe Garagiola, American baseball player and broadcaster * Joe Gomez (footballer), Joe Gomez, English footballer * Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast * Joe Hart, English football player * Joe Horlen, American baseball player * Joe Jacobi, American canoer * Joe Jacobson, Welsh soccer player * Joe Kaminer, South African rugby player * Joe Katchik, American football player * Joe Keeble, American football player * Joe Kehoskie (born 1973), American baseball executive * Joe Lamas, American football player * Joe Louis, Joseph Louis Barrow, American boxer and heavyweight champion better known as "Joe Louis" * Joe Magidsohn, Russian, American football player * Joseph Marwa, Tanzanian boxer * Joe Mauer, American baseball player * Joe McGlone (1896–1963), American football player * Joe Minucci (born 1981), American football player * Joe Montana, American Hall of Fame NFL quarterback * Joe Namath (born 1943), American Hall of Fame NFL quarterback * Joseph Noteboom (born 1995), American football player * Joseph Odom (born 1992), American professional baseball catcher * Joe O'Malley, American football player * Joseph Oosting, Dutch football player * Joseph Paulo, New Zealand rugby player * Joe Paterno, Penn State football coach * Joe Pavelski (born 1984), American ice hockey player * Joe Picker (born 1987), Australian rugby player * Joe Prokop (born 1960), American football player * Joe Prokop (halfback) (1921–1995), American football player * Joe Righetti (born 1947), American football player * Joe Schilling, American kick-boxer * Joseph Schooling (born 1995), Singaporean swimmer * Joe Stringfellow (1918–1992), American football player *Joseph Tapine (born 1994), New Zealand rugby league player * Joseph Ualesi, Australian rugby player * Joseph Valtellini (born 1985), Canadian kickboxer * Joe Vetrano (1918–1995), American football player * Joe Vodicka, American football player * Joe Winkler (1922–2001), American football player * Chaminda Vaas, Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (born 1974), Sri Lankan cricketer

Religion

* Joseph Ayo Babalola, Nigerian religious figure * Joseph Gelfer, British researcher in religion and masculinities * Joseph F. Merrill, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Joseph (Petrovykh) (1872–1937), metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church * Joseph Ponniah, 1st Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Batticaloa * Joseph Prince, a pastor and IT consultant * Joseph Ratzinger, given name of Pope Benedict XVI * Joseph Sarvananthan, Sri Lankan Tamil Anglican priest * Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement * Joseph Smith III, son of Joseph Smith and founder of the Community of Christ, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints * Joseph F. Smith, 6th President of the Church (LDS Church), president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th President of the Church (LDS Church), president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Joseph of Vatopedi (1921–2009), Greek Cypriot Orthodox monk * Joseph Vaz, Indian Catholic priest, "Apostle of Sri Lanka" * Joseph B. Wirthlin, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Joseph Angell Young, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Rayappu Joseph, 2nd Roman Catholic Diocese of Mannar, Bishop of Mannar

Scholars

* Joseph von Baader (1763–1835), German engineer and rail transport pioneer * Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historian * Joseph W. Esherick, American historian of China * J. P. de Fonseka, Joseph Peter de Fonseka (1897–1948), Sri Lankan essayist and editor * Joseph Dalton Hooker, British botanist * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), French philosopher * Joseph Mercado, Filipino statistician * Joseph S. Murphy (1933–1998), American political scientist and university administrator * Joseph Planta (librarian), Joseph Planta (1744–1828), Swiss principal librarian of the British Museum * Joe Root (Pennsylvania hermit), Joe Root, a 19th-century American naturalist from Erie, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania * Joseph Polchinski, theoretical physicist and string theorist

Inventors

* Joseph Glidden (1813–1906), inventor of barbed wire * Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833), first person to create a permanent photograph

Crime

* Joe Ball, Joseph D. "Joe" Ball (1896–1938), American murderer and suspected serial killer * Joseph Christopher (1955–1993), American serial killer * Joseph James DeAngelo (born 1945), American serial killer and rapist and former cop * Joseph Edward Duncan (1963–2021), American serial killer, rapist, and kidnapper * Joseph Paul Franklin (1950–2013), American serial killer, arsonist, bank robber, and neo-nazi * Joseph Kallinger (1935–1996), American serial killer and rapist * Joseph Massino (born 1943), former boss of Bonanno crime family * Joseph Mengele (1911–1979), Nazi scientist * Joseph Scott Pemberton, a US Marine lance corporal convicted of the homicide Death of Jennifer Laude, of Jennifer Laude, a Filipino trans woman * Joseph Rosenzweig, (born c.1891), American New York City labor racketeer * Chip Skowron, Joseph Skowron (born c.1969), American portfolio manager convicted of insider trading

Other

* Joseph Fenton, informer killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army * Joseph Fitzgerald (disambiguation), multiple people * Joseph Hedley, English quilter and murder victim * Joseph B. MacInnis (born 1937), Canadian physician, underwater diver and author * Joseph Oliver (disambiguation), multiple people * Joseph Safra (1938–2020), Brazilian banker * Joseph Thornton (bookseller), Joseph Thornton (1808–1891), English bookseller based in Oxford * Joseph Wilf (1925–2016), Polish-born American businessman

Fictional characters

* Joseph Desaulniers, a hunter in the video game ''Identity V'' * Joseph Goldberg, main character in the Netflix series ''You (TV series), You'' * Joseph Joestar (ジョセフ・ジョースター), the main protagonist of Part 2: Battle Tendency in the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' * Joseph Seed, a recurring character in the ''Far Cry'' video game franchise * Joseph Wilford, the main antagonist in the Netflix series ''Snowpiercer (TV series), Snowpiercer''

References

{{given name English-language masculine given names English masculine given names German masculine given names Hebrew masculine given names Modern names of Hebrew origin