Jose

Jose meaning

Jose is an international and Christian boy's name of Hebrew origin (Spanish form).

"let him add" or "adding"; Spanish form of Joseph

José is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Joseph, from Hebrew Yoseph. Strong's Concordance derives the name from a verb meaning 'to add' or 'to increase' and glosses it 'let him add', and in Genesis Rachel names her son with the hope that the Lord will add another. Joseph, the husband of Mary, made the name central to Christian families, and in Spanish-speaking countries José is often paired with a second name, as in José Luis or José María. Spanish speakers say ho-SAY. In India, Jose is also used by Christian families, especially in Kerala and Goa.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H3130 · entry Yoseph · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's H3130, Yoseph (with NAS entry) · Genesis 30:24 · Wikipedia, José Rizal

Famous namesakes

• José Rizal, national hero of the Philippines
• José Mourinho, Portuguese football manager

Popularity abroad

• #95 United States, boys 2025 (down 4 from 91 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Jose · José

Related names

Also starting with Jos-

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