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. In Portuguese and Spanish, the name is "José". In Catalan it is "Josep". In Arabic, including in the Quran, the name is spelled , . In Kurdish (Kurdî), the name is , Persian, the name is , and in Turkish it is . In Pashto the name is spelled Esaf (ايسپ) and in Malayalam it is spelled Ousep (ഔസേപ്പ്). In Tamil, 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) 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, Yosef was the second most popular male name for Jews.

In the Book of Genesis Joseph is Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first son, and known in the Hebrew Bible as Yossef ben-Yaakov. In the New Testament the most notable two are Joseph of Nazareth, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus Christ 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." The Jewish Encyclopedia says that it is a theophoric name referencing the Tetragrammaton, and in fact his name is spelled Jehoseph, with the theophoric first syllable 'Jeho', once in Psalms. 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

• Albanian: Jozef, Zef, Josif, Jozë, Isuf, Bep, Bibë

• Alemmanic: Sepp, Seppu

• Alsatian: Sepp

• Amharic: (Yosēfi)

• Aragonese: Chusep, Chusé

• Aramaic: (Yawsef, Yowsef)

• Armenian: (Hovsep)

• Arabic: (Yūsif, Youssef, Yussef, Yousif, Yousef, Youssof, Yūsuf)

• Arpitan: Dzozè

• Azerbaijani: Yusif, Yusuf, Usub

• Basque: Joseba, Josepe

• Bavarian: Sepp, Bepperl, Beppe, Beppi,

• Belarusian: (Iosif), (Jazep)

• Bengali: (Iusuf)

• Betawi: Yusuf, Yusup, Ucup.

• Bosnian: Josip, Jusuf

• Breton: Jozef, Jozeb

• Bulgarian: (Yosif)

• Burmese (Myanmar): (Yaw sautsai)

• Cantonese: (Joek sat)

• Catalan: Josep, Pep (shortened form), Jep (an alternative shortened form)

• Circassian: (Yusyf)

• Cornish: Josep

• Corsican: Ghjaseppu, Ghjiseppu; Diminutives: Ghjasè, Ghjisè, Sipparellu, Sgiusgiunellu

• Croatian: Josip, Joso, Jozo, Joza, Joze, Joško, Joža, Jože, Bepo, Bepi, Bapi, Pino, Osíp, Bozo, Gonzo, Ganso

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

• Danish: Josef

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

• English: Joseph, Diminutives: Jo, Joe, Joey, Josy, Jossy, Josey, Jos, Josie

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

• Greek: (Iosif), (Iosipos), (Sifis) (local in Crete)

• Gujarati: (Jōsēfa)

• Hawaiian: Iokepa

• Hebrew: (Yosef), (Yossi) (diminutive), (Sefi) (diminutive)

• Hiligaynon: José, Josef, Josep (rare)

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

• Irish: Seosamh, Iósaf

• Japanese: (Yosefu), (Josefu)

• Kambaata: Yeseffe, Yese, Josse, Jossy

• Kannada: (Jōseph)

• Kashmiri: (Yūsuf)

• Kazakh: Yusuf, Jusip

• Khmer: (Yousaep)

• Korean: (Yosep), (Josep)

• Kurdish (Kurdî): Ûsiv, Yûsiv

• Kyrgyz: (Jusup), Юс

• Latvian: Jāzeps, Jozefs, Josefs, Josifs, Džozefs, Žozefs, Jusufs, Jozis, Zeps, Seps

• Limburgish: Joep, Sef

• Lithuanian: Juozapas, Juozas (shorter form), Juzas, Juzė (diminutive), Justas

• Lombard: Usèp, Jusèp, Bèp

• Luganda: Yusufu, Yozefu

• Macedonian: (J̌osif)

• Malayalam: (Josapp) or (Josappan), (Ousepp), (Yosepp), (Kochaappu), (Eeppan), (Jōsaph), (Iype)

• Malaysian: Yusuf, Yusop, Yusoff, Jusoh, Eusoff, Usop

• Manado Malay: Josef, Yosef, Oce'

• Maltese: Ġużeppi, Ġużi, Ġuż, Ġużè, Peppi, Peppu, Peppinu, Pepp, Peppa, Pepa, Żeppi, Żeppu, Żepp

• Mandarin: , ,

• Marathi: (Jōsēfa)

• Māori: Hohepa

• Mongolian: (Iosyef)

• Nepali: (Yūsupha)

• Norwegian: Josef

• Occitan: Josèp

• Persian: (Youssef, Yūsuf, Yussef)

• Polish: Józef, Józek (diminutive), Józio (diminutive)

• Portuguese: José, Josefo, Joséf; diminutive forms: Zé, Zeca, Zezé

• Provençal: Jóusè

• Punjabi: (Yūsufa)

• Quechua: Husiy

• Romanian: Iosif, Iosub

• Romansch: Giusep, Gisep, Giusi, Sepp

• Russian: (Iosif), (Osip), (Peppa)

• Samoan: Iosefa, Sefa

• Sardinian: Josepe, Zosepe, Gisepu

• Scottish Gaelic: Seòsaidh, Eòsaph, Iòsaph

• Serbian: (Josif), (Josip), (Josef), (Jozef)

• Sepedi: Josefa

• Sicilian: Giuseppi

• Silesian: Zefel, Zeflik (diminutive)

• Sinhala: (Juse), (Jōsēf)

• Slovak: Jozef, Jožo, Dodo, Ďoďo

• Slovene: Jožef, Jože

• Somali:

• Spanish: José; hypocoristic versions: Pepe, Chepe, Che, Cheo, Chelo

• Sundanese: Ucup, Yusup, Yosep

• Swahili: Yusuph, Yusufu, Yosefu

• Swedish: Josef

• Syriac: (Yosip, Yausef, Ossi)

• Tagalog: Jose, Pepe, Peping

• Tamil: (sūsai), (yōcēppu)

• Tajik: (Yusuf)

• Telugu: (Yōsepu)

• Thai: (Co sef, Josef)

• Tigrinya: (Yosēf)

• Tongan: Siosefa

• Turkish: Yusuf

• Turkmen: Yusup

• Tyap:

• Ukrainian: (Josyp), (Osyp)

• (Yūsuf)

• Uzbek: Yusuf

• Valencian: Josep

• Venetian: Juxepe, Bepi, Bepin, Bapi

• Vietnamese: Giu-se or Giô-xếp or Yuse or Giô-sép

• Vilamovian: Juza

• Welsh: Joseff, Ioseff (or, less commonly, Iosep)

• Yiddish: Yissl, Yussel, Jayzl

• Yoruba: Josefu, Yusufu

• Shona: Joze, Joza

• Zulu: uJosef

Female forms

• Albanian: Jozefina, Zefina

• Catalan: Josepa, Pepa, Peppa (shortened)

• Cornish: Josepa

• Croatian: Josipa, Josica, Jozica

• Czech: Josefina, Josefa, Jozeva

• Dutch: José, Josefien

• English: Jo, Josephine, Joette, Posy, Posie

• French: Joséphine, Josephte, Josepthe

• Friulian: Josefe, 'Sefe, Pine

• Greek: (Iosiphina)

• Hungarian: Jozefa, Jozefina, Józsa

• Indonesian: Yosephine, Josefa, Josepha, Josephira, Josephine, Josephina, Yosefin, Yosefina, Josefina, Yosepha

• Irish: Seosaimhín

• Italian: Giuseppa, Giuseppina

• Maltese: Ġuża, Ġużeppa

• Norwegian: Josefine, Josephine

• Polish: 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

• Spanish: Josefa, Josefina, Josefita

• Swedish: Josefin, Josefine, Josephine, Josefina

• Yiddish: Jayzl, Yissl

People

See also

• Hohepa (disambiguation)

• Increase (given name)

• Joe (disambiguation)

• Josef (disambiguation)

• Jozef

• József

• Saint Joseph (disambiguation)

• Patriarch 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/Arabic

• Boleslav and Václav, often treated as Slavic translations of Joseph due to their similar meanings.

References