Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "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 The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. In Portuguese 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, the name is "

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

". In

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, including in the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, the name is spelled , . In Kurdish (''Kurdî''), the name is ,

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 , and in Turkish it is . In

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

the name is spelled ''Esaf'' (ايسپ) and in

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

it is spelled ''Ousep'' (ഔസേപ്പ്). In

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, it is spelled as ''Yosepu'' (யோசேப்பு). 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 ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

'', 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 Israeli Jews. In the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "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 count ...

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

's eleventh son and

Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

's first son, and known in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Yossef Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'' and Yosseph, or Joseph, Arabic ''Yusof'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yad ...

ben-

Yaakov Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Patriarchs (Bible), Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older frate ...

. In the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

the most notable two are

, the husband of

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

, the mother of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

; and

Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea () is a Biblical figure who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion. Three of the four Biblical Canon, canonical Gospels identify him as a member of the Sanhedrin, while the ...

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

Etymology

The Bible offers two explanations for the origins of the name ''Yosef'': first, it is compared to the word from the root /'sp/, : "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 : "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The 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 the ...

'' says that it is a

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

name referencing the Tetragrammaton, and in fact his name is spelled ''Jehoseph'', with the theophoric first syllable '' 'Jeho''', once in Psalms. "like all other Hebrew names beginning with the syllable 'Jo,' it has Yhwh as its first element". 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 languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

: 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 ...

: Jozef, Zef, Josif, Jozë, Isuf, Bep, Bibë * Alemmanic: Sepp, Seppu * Alsatian: Sepp *

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

: (Yosēfi) * Aragonese: Chusep, Chusé *

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

: (Yawsef, Yowsef) *

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 around the ...

: (Hovsep) *

: (Yūsif, Youssef, Yussef, Yousif, Yousef, Youssof, Yūsuf) * Arpitan: Dzozè * 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: (Iosif), (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 ...

: (Iusuf or Yusuf) (Islamic), (Josef) (Christian) * Betawi: Yusuf, Yusup, Ucup. * 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 **Gale ...

: Jozef, Jozeb * Bulgarian: (Yosif) * Burmese (Myanmar): (Yaw sautsai) *

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

: (Joek sat) * Catalan: Josep, Pep (shortened form), Jep (an alternative shortened form) * Circassian: (Yusyf) * Cornish: Josep * Corsican: Ghjaseppu, Ghjiseppu; Diminutives: Ghjasè, Ghjisè * 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 *Czech (surnam ...

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

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

: Jozef, Josephus; Diminutives: Joep, Joost, Jos, Jo, Jef, Seppe * English: Joseph, Diminutives: Jo, Joe, Joey, Josy, Jossy, Josey, Jos, Josie *

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

Joosep Joosep is an Estonian language, Estonian masculine given name, a version of Joseph (name), Joseph. People named Joosep include: *Joosep Matjus (born 1984), Estonian documentary filmmaker *Joosep Saat (1900–1977), Estonian communist politician, ...

, Joosu * Faroese: Jósef * Fijian: Josefa * Filipino: Joseph, José, Pepe, Peping, Sep, Jojo * Finnish: Jooseppi, Juuso * French: José, Joseph, Jojo * Friulian: Josef, 'Sef, 'Sefin, 'Sefut, Bepi, Bepo, Beput * Galician: Xosé * Georgian: (Ioseb), (Soso) *

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Joscha Joscha is a unisex given name, found in Germany and Switzerland. Notable people with this name include: * Joscha Bach (born 1973), a German AI and cognitive science researcher * Joscha Burkhalter (born 1996), a Swiss biathlete * Joscha Kiefer (born ...

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

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

: (Iosif), (Iosipos), (Sifis) (local in Crete) * Gujarati: (Jōsēfa) * Hawaiian: Iokepa *

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: (Yosef), (Yossi) (diminutive) * Hiligaynon: José, Josef, Josep (rare) *

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: (Yūsuf) * Hungarian: József, Jóska, Józsi (diminutive) * Icelandic: Jósef, Jói * Igbo: Yôsēp̄, Yossef, Josef * Indonesian: Joesoef, Josef, Joseph, Jusuf, Ucup, Yosef, Yosep, Yusuf, Yusup, Yoseph, Yosi *

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

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

: (Yosefu), (Josefu) * Kambaata: Yeseffe, Yese, Josse, Jossy *

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

: (Jōseph) * Kashmiri: (Yūsuf) * Kazakh: Yusuf, Jusip * Khmer: (Yousaep) *

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

: (Yosep), (Josep) * Kurdish (''Kurdî''): Ûsiv, Yûsiv * Kyrgyz: (Jusup), Юс * Latvian: Jāzeps, Jozefs, Josefs, Josifs, Džozefs, Žozefs, Jusufs, Jozis, Zeps, Seps *

Limburgish Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...

: Joep, Sef * Lithuanian: Juozapas, Juozas (shorter form), Juzas, Juzė (diminutive), Justas * Lombard: Usèp, Jusèp, Bèp *

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

: (J̌osif) *

: (Josapp) or (Josappan), (Ousepp), (Yosepp), (Kochaappu), (Eeppan), (Jōsaph), (Iype) * Malaysian: Yusuf, Yusop, Yusoff, Jusoh, Eusoff, Usop *

Manado Malay Manado Malay, Manadonese 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 ...

: Josef, Yosef, Oce' *

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of 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 ...

: zh, s=约瑟, t=約瑟, p=(Yuēsè), zh, s=约瑟夫, t=約瑟夫, p=(Yuēsèfū), zh, s=玉素甫, p=Yùsùfǔ, Zho-Zi-Fu *

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

: (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 Co ...

: Hohepa *

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

: (Iosyef) * Nepali: (Yūsupha) * Norwegian: 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, spoken in parts o ...

: Josèp *

: (Youssef, Yūsuf, Yussef) *

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

: Józef, Józek (diminutive), Józio (diminutive) * Portuguese: José, Josefo, Joséf; diminutive forms: Zé, Zeca, Zezé * Provençal: Jóusè * Punjabi: (Yūsufa) *

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

: Husiy *

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

: Iosif, Iosub * Romansch: Giusep, Gisep, Giusi, Sepp *

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: (Iosif), (Osip), (Peppa) * Samoan: Iosefa, Sefa * Sardinian: Josepe, Zosepe, Gisepu *

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: Seòsaidh, Eòsaph, Iòsaph *

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

: (Josif), (Josip), (Josef), (Jozef) * Sepedi: Josefa * Sicilian: Giuseppi * Silesian: Zefel, Zeflik (diminutive) * Sinhala: (Juse), (Jōsēf) * Slovak: Jozef, Jožo, Dodo, Ďoďo, Dodô, Doido * Slovene: Jožef, Jože * Somali: *

; hypocoristic versions: Pepe, Chepe, Che, Cheo, Chelo * Sundanese: Ucup, Yusup, Yosep * Swahili: Yusuph, Yusufu, Yosefu * Swedish: Josef * Sylheti: (Yusuf) * Syriac: (Yosip, Yausef, Ossi) * Tagalog: Jose, Pepe, Peping *

: (sūsai), (yōcēppu) * Tajik: (Yusuf) *

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

: (Yōsepu) * Thai: (Co sef, Josef) * Tongan: Siosefa * Turkish: Yusuf * Turkmen: Yusup * Tyap: * Ukrainian: (Josyp), (Osyp) * (Yūsuf) * Uzbek: Yusuf *

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

: Josep * Venetian: Juxepe, Bepi, Bepin, Bapi *

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

: Giu-se or Giô-xếp or Yuse or Giô-sép *

Vilamovian Wymysorys (, ), also known as Vilamovian, Wilamowicean, or Wilmesaurisch, is a West Germanic language spoken by the Vilamovians, Vilamovian ethnic minority in the town of Wilamowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland ( in Wymysorys), on the border ...

: Juza * Welsh: Joseff, Ioseff (or, less commonly, Iosep) *

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: Yissl, Yussel, Jayzl * Yoruba: Josefu, Yusufu * Shona: Joze, Joza * Zulu: uJosef

Female forms

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

: Josefina, Josefa, Jozeva *

: José, Josefien * English: Jo, Josephine, Joette, Posy, Posie * French: Joséphine, Josephte, Josepthe * Friulian: Josefe, 'Sefe, Pine *

: (Iosiphina) * Hungarian: Jozefa, Jozefina, Józsa * Indonesian: Yosephine, Josefa, Josepha, Josephira, Josephine, Josephina, Yosefin, Yosefina, Josefina, Yosepha * Irish: Seosaimhín *

: Giuseppa, Giuseppina *

: Ġuża, Ġużeppa * Norwegian: Josefine, Josephine *

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

: Josefa, Josefina, Josefita * Swedish: Josefin, Josefine, Josephine, Josefina *

: Jayzl, Yissl

People

Biblical figures

Joseph (Genesis) Joseph (; ) is an important Hebrews, Hebrew figure in the Bible's Book of Genesis. He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth named child and eleventh son). He is the founder of the Tribe of Joseph among the Israelites. ...

, son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis *

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus *

, secret disciple of Jesus * Joseph Barsabbas, one of two candidates to replace

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...

's position among the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

* Joseph ben Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest related to the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

. 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 and government

* Chief Joseph (1840–1904), Nez Perce tribal leader * Joseph "Jo" Abbott (1840–1908), U.S. congressman from Texas * John Joseph Abercrombie (1798–1877), career U.S. Army officer * Joseph Arthur Ankrah (1915–1992), 2nd president of Ghana from 1966 to 1969 * Joseph F. Baca (born 1936), chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court * Joseph Belmont (1947–2022), Seychellois politician * Joe Biden, Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden (born 1942), 46th president of the United States (2021–2025); 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 Caillaux (1863–1944), French politician and Minister of France * Joseph Carraro (born 1944), former New Mexico state senator * Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914), British statesman, diplomats, and businessman * Joseph Chan Ho-lim, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, and a former member of the Central and Western District Council (Peak Constituency) in Hong Kong. * Joseph Warren Coker (1930–2019), American politician * Joseph Cook (1860–1947), 6th prime minister of Australia * Joseph Dudley (1647–1720), British military commander and colonial administrator * Joseph Estrada (born 1937), 13th president of the Philippines * Joseph Galletta, American politician * J. I. Gnanamuttu, Joseph Isaac Gnanamuttu (died 1944), Sri Lankan Tamil politician * Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), German politician and propaganda minister of Nazi Germany * Joseph A. Greene, state senator in South Carolina * Joseph Hemphill (1770–1842), U.S. congressman from Pennsylvania * Joseph Hillström (1879-1915), Swedish-American labour activist and songwriter * Joseph Coulon de Jumonville (1718–1754), French Canadian military officer * Joseph Kabila (born 1971), 4th 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 Sr. (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 * Joe Kennedy III (born 1980), son of Joseph P. Kennedy II and former congressman from Massachusetts * Joe Kennedy (Georgia politician) (1930–1997), American politician from Georgia * Joseph Abu Khalil (1925–2019), Lebanese politician and journalist * Joe Lieberman (1942–2024), U.S. senator from Connecticut * Joseph Lyons (1879–1939), 10th prime minister of Australia * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), French diplomat * Joseph Carlisle McAlhany (1915–2005), American politician * Joseph McCarthy (1908–1957), U.S. senator from Wisconsin * Joseph Henry Mensah (1928–2018), Ghanaian economist and politician * Joseph P. Nadeau (born 1936), justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court * Joseph Bennet Odunton (1920–2004), Ghanaian civil servant * Joseph Michael Perera (1941–2023), Sri Lankan politician * J. Y. Pillay, Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay (born 1934), Singaporean civil servant * Joseph Planta (politician), Joseph Planta (1787–1847), English politician * Joseph Schmid, Joseph "Beppo" Schmid (1901–1956), Air force general in Nazi Germany * Joseph Hill Sinex (1819–1892), Pennsylvania State Representative * Joseph Plunkett (1887–1916), Irish Republican and Poet * 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 ( 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 * Vijay (actor), Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, Indian actor * 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 Delaney (1945–2022), English author * 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 * Joseph Hahn, American musician * Tally Hall (band), Joe Hawley, American singer, songwriter, and musician * Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer * Joseph Heller, American author * Joseph Turner Henderson, known as Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson (1920–1980), Scottish pianist, composer and broadcaster * Michael Joseph Jackson (1958–2009), American singer * Joe Jonas, lead vocals, the Jonas Brothers * Joseph Kaiser (tenor), Joseph Kaiser, Canadian opera singer * Joseph Koo, Hong Kong composer and arranger * Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American film director, producer and screenwriter * Joseph Marco, Filipino actor * Joseph May, British-born Canadian-American actor * Joseph Mawle, British 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 Perry (musician), Joe Perry, Aerosmith lead guitarist * Joe Pesci, American actor * Joseph Pickett (painter), Joseph Pickett, American painter * Joe Ranft, American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor * Joe Ruby (1933–2020), American cartoonist and producer * Joe Sasto, American chef * Joe Satriani, instrumental rock guitarist * Joseph Simmons, aka DJ Run, of rap group Run-DMC * Joseph Simmons (guitarist), American guitarist * Joe Strummer, English musician * Joe Sugg, British YouTuber * The Anime Man, Joseph Tetsuro Bizinger, known online as The Anime Man, Japanese Australian YouTuber, voice actor, songwriter, and podcaster * 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 * Jos Buttler, English cricketer * 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 * Joseph Loake, British racing driver * Joe Louis, Joseph Louis Barrow, American boxer and heavyweight champion better known as "Joe Louis" * Joe Magidsohn, Russian, American football player * Joseph Marwa (boxer), 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 Root, English cricketer * Joe Righetti (born 1947), American football player * Joseph Scates (born 2000), 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 Di Mambro (1924–1994), French cult leader * Joseph Gelfer, British researcher in religion and masculinities * Joseph Kibweteere (born 1932, disappeared 2000), Ugandan cult leader * 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 * Joseph Cafazzo, Joseph Antony Cafazzo, Canadian engineer, educator and researcher * Joseph Campbell, American writer and professor * 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 Nye (1937–2025), American political scientist * Joseph Planta (librarian), Joseph Planta (1744–1828), Swiss principal librarian of the British Museum * Joseph Polchinski, theoretical physicist and string theorist * Joe Root (Pennsylvania hermit), Joe Root, a 19th-century American naturalist from Erie, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania

Inventors

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

Criminals

* Joseph Armone (1917–1992), American mobster * Joseph Baldi (1941–2009), American serial killer * Joe Ball, Joseph D. "Joe" Ball (1896–1938), American murderer and suspected serial killer * Joseph Barboza (1932–1976), American hitman * Joseph Breslin (1950–1982), American serial killer * Joey Buttafuoco (born 1956), American man who had an affair with 17 year-old Amy Fisher * Joseph Christopher (1955–1993), American serial killer * Joseph Danks (born 1962), American spree/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 Eisele (1834–1868), German serial killer * Joe Exotic (born 1963), American media personality convicted of animal abuse and conspiring murder for hire * Joseph Paul Franklin (1950–2013), American serial killer and neo-nazi * Joseph Gardner (murderer), Joseph M.L. Gardner (1970–2008), American murderer * Joseph Stephen Holt (1947–2014), American posthumously linked murderer and possible serial killer * Joseph Kallinger (1935–1996), American serial killer and rapist * Joseph Kondro (1959–2012), American murderer and possible serial killer * Joseph Magaletti (1950–2015), American murderer and suspected serial killer * Joseph Massino (1943–2023), former boss of Bonanno crime family * Joseph Mengele (1911–1979), Nazi scientist * Joseph Robert Miller (born 1955), American serial killer * Joseph P. Moran (1895–1934), American surgeon and gangster * Joseph Naso (born 1934), American serial killer * 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, (c.1891–?), American New York City labor racketeer * Chip Skowron, Joseph "Chip" Skowron (born c.1969), American portfolio manager convicted of insider trading * Joseph Ture Jr. (born 1951), American serial killer, kidnapper, and burglar * Joseph T. Wesbecker (1942–1989), American mass murderer who perpetrated the Standard Gravure shooting

Other

* Joseph Force Crater (fl. 1889–1930), New York judge who disappeared * Joseph Fenton, informer killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army * Joseph Fitzgerald (disambiguation), multiple people * Joseph Goldwasser Polish-born American businessman * 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 * Joe Shuster, Joseph Shuster (1914-1992), Canadian-American comic artist, best known for creating Superman * Joseph Thornton (bookseller), Joseph Thornton (1808–1891), English bookseller based in Oxford * Murder of Joseph Wallace, Joseph Wallace (1989–1993), American murder victim * 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 ''Battle Tendency'' in the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' * Joseph Seed, a recurring character in the ''Far Cry'' video game franchise * Joey Tribbiani, Joseph Tribbiani, a main character in TV show ''Friends'' and it's spin-off ''Joey (TV series), Joey'' * Joseph Wilford, the main antagonist in the Netflix series ''Snowpiercer (TV series), Snowpiercer'' * Joe Josephson, a Broadway producer in the musical Merrily We Roll Along (musical), Merrily We Roll Along

References

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