Joseph

Joseph meaning

Joseph is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.

Let him add; from yasaph, to add or increase

Also used to mean: he will add, god will increase

Joseph comes from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). Strong's reads it as 'let him add', or perhaps simply 'adding', from yasaph, 'to add or increase', and the NAS concordance gives 'he increases'. Genesis 30:24 explains the name through Rachel's hope at his birth that the LORD would add another son. Name lists give 'he will add' or 'God will increase', which agree. Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, is the hero of the Genesis story in which his jealous brothers sell him into slavery and he rises to become the Pharaoh's chief adviser in Egypt. In the New Testament the name belongs to Joseph of Nazareth, husband of Mary.

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

References: Strong's Hebrew 3130, Yowceph (with NAS) · Catholic Encyclopedia, Joseph

Famous namesakes

• Joseph, son of Jacob, in Genesis
• Joseph of Nazareth, husband of Mary

Popularity abroad

• #29 United States, boys 2025 (up 3 from 32 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #59 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Joseph · Josef

Related names

Also starting with Jos-

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