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'' says that it is a theophoric name referencing YHWH. 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: Josef, Joesoef *Female forms
*People
Biblical figures
* Joseph (patriarch), son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis * Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus * Joseph of Arimathea, 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 New Testament.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 SpainPolitics
* 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 chiefArts 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 actorSports
* 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 cricketerReligion
* 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 MannarScholars
* 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 theoristInventors
* Joseph Glidden (1813–1906), inventor of barbed wire * Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833), first person to create a permanent photographCrime
* 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 tradingOther
* 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 businessmanFictional 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''See also
* Hohepa (disambiguation) * Joe (disambiguation) * Josef (disambiguation) * Jozef * József * Saint Joseph (disambiguation) * Yosef (disambiguation), a variation of the name in Hebrew, and the Dutch eye dialect of the name * Yusuf (disambiguation), as rendered in Islam/ArabicReferences
{{given name English-language masculine given names English masculine given names German masculine given names Hebrew masculine given names Modern names of Hebrew origin