Joseph
given name · Latin script
Meaning: From the male personal name Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef, literally “may he add”
Recorded as a male name· opposite-gender records fall within measured source noise
/d͡ʒoʊsəf/(machine-generated) pronunciation, model-generated
Joseph is a given name written in the Latin script, with more bearers in Brazil than in any other country. In Laos it is the 2nd most common given name.
- IEIreland≈1 in 167(inferred from the name graph)
- NGNigeria≈1 in 207
- USUnited States1 in 208
carrying the name, as counted by its national register where one exists and as Mondonomo estimates it elsewhere (marked ≈ and "est." on hover). Where a country counts another spelling of the name rather than Joseph itself, the figure is that spelling’s, and it is named. One hue, darker where it is more common; hover a country for its figure.
- Brazil (measured from records)
- #46 (measured from records)
- 8 (measured from records)
- Sources
- 688 (measured from records)
- ≈1 in 167 (inferred from the name graph)
5,164,752 named Jose, 2022
of 15M given names
recorded for this name
Highest-authority source
Ireland, est.
measured from records inferred from the name graph
Spellings & scripts(measured from records)
Locally spelled Josep in BR Brazil, ES Spain, Jose in EC Ecuador, LA Laos, Josef in CZ Czechia and Joeseph in HN Honduras.
Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.
Meaning & origin(measured from records)
From the male personal name Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef, literally “may he add”.
Sources 1
- Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history]
Attested across 21 languages in the etymology graph.
Where in the world(measured from records)
Joseph counted together with the spellings and other-language forms grouped with it. Where a register counted another spelling, the row names it.
Sorted by bearers: national registers' counts, and Mondonomo's estimates (≈, est.) where no register counts.
| Country | Most common spelling | Sources | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR Brazil | — | 5,164,752as Jose | 1 in 41 | 5.8M | Josep | 44 |
| US United States | #12 | 1,600,667 | 1 in 208 | 1.6M | Joseph | 688 |
| NG Nigeria | #15 | ≈1,000,000 est. | ≈1 in 207 | — | Joseph | 177 |
| EC Ecuador | — | 590,465as Jose | 1 in 29 | 590K | Jose | 68 |
| ES Spain | #92 | 487,678as Jose | 1 in 103 | 532K | Josep | 226 |
| CZ Czechia | #9 | 422,634as Josef | 1 in 25 | 423K | Josef | 184 |
| HN Honduras | — | 170,919as José | 1 in 54 | 171K | Joeseph | 15 |
| CR Costa Rica | — | 127,526as Jose | 1 in 40 | 128K | — | 21 |
| IE Ireland | #11 | ≈31,000 est. | ≈1 in 167 | — | Joseph | 174 |
| LA Laos | #2 | ≈30,000 est. | ≈1 in 248 | — | Jose | 25 |
5,164,752 people counted by IBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror), 2022, counting the spelling jose. Exact figures are national registers' own counts, while figures marked ≈ and est. are Mondonomo’s estimates, counted from our sources and calibrated against those registers; hover one for how far to trust it in that country. A dash means neither exists.
Registers cited: Census Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex; IBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror); IBGE — Nomes (census name API); INEC — civil registry names; INE — Padrón per-token widgets (current living counts, given + apellidos); INE — Nombres más frecuentes (Padrón Municipal); MVČR — living population register 2017; RNP — cumulative registry names; TSE — electoral roll (padrón) names. Figures without a register are Mondonomo estimates; see Methodology.
Country figures for a list of names, at full precision, are available under licence rather than by scraping this table (how that works).
Other recorded senses(measured from records)
Joseph is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.
The name Joseph is Hebrew (Yosef) for 'He will add' or 'God increases'. Barsabbas is an Aramaic patronymic meaning 'son of Sabba' or 'son of the Sabbath'. Justus is a Latin cognomen meaning 'the just' or 'the righteous', likely given to him because of his reputation for integrity.
as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database
Joseph is a timeless biblical name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God will add" or "he will increase." In the New Testament, Joseph of Arimathea is remembered as the brave and wealthy disciple who honored Jesus by providing his own tomb for His burial.
as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database
Joseph is a timeless name of Hebrew origin meaning 'He will add.' The name carries a legacy of quiet strength, integrity, and faithfulness, as embodied by Saint Joseph, the devoted earthly father of Jesus who was a protector and a righteous man.
as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database
Justus is a strong, classic name of Latin origin meaning 'just' or 'righteous.' In the Bible, Joseph Justus was a respected early follower of Jesus, known for his integrity and considered for the high honor of being an apostle.
as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database
As an ancestor of Jesus in the Lukan genealogy, Joseph's significance is in establishing Jesus's physical descent from King David and his connection to the history of Israel, thereby affirming his messianic credentials.
as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database
Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.
Notable people with this name(measured from records)
- Paul Doumerb. 1857FRnot in their usual nameFrench statesman (1857–1932)
- Jean Jaurèsb. 1859FRnot in their usual nameFrench / Occitan socialist leader (1859-1914)
- Buster Keatonb. 1895USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor, comedian, and director (1895–1966)
- Mickey Rooneyb. 1920USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1920–2014)
- Jean Chrétienb. 1934CAnot in their usual nameprime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003
- Bruce Springsteenb. 1949USnot in their usual nameAmerican rock singer (born 1949)
- Joseph Konyb. 1961UGUgandan Leader of the Lord's Resistance Army
- Ryan Giggsb. 1973GBnot in their usual nameWelsh association football player and coach
- David Beckhamb. 1975GBnot in their usual nameEnglish footballer (born 1975)
- Joe Lockeb. 2003IMnot in their usual nameManx actor
The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).
How to address them(machine-generated)
A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.
Evidence(measured from records)
Attested in 196 sources across 92 countries.
| Country | Register | Year | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US United States | Census Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex | 2020 | 1.6M | #10 |
| EC Ecuador | INEC — civil registry names | 2024 | 16K | #143 |
| US United States | SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) | 2025 | 7.3K | — |
| BR Brazil | IBGE — names by decade (Kaggle mirror) | 2022 | 5.5K | — |
| BR Brazil | IBGE — Censo 2022 Nomes no Brasil per-token lookup (v3 API, given+surname) | — | 5.4K | #2,583 |
| CR Costa Rica | TSE — electoral roll (padrón) names | — | 4.4K | #175 |
| BR Brazil | IBGE — Nomes (census name API) | — | 3K | #4,688 |
| US United States | Census Bureau — First Name Frequency 2020 by sex | 2020 | 1.9K | #10 |
| ES Spain | INE — Padrón per-token widgets (current living counts, given + apellidos) | — | 1.5K | #2,164 |
| ES Spain | INE — Nombres más frecuentes (Padrón Municipal) | — | 1.3K | #1,005 |
| BR Brazil | IBGE — Censo 2022 Nomes no Brasil per-token lookup (v3 API, given+surname) | 2020 | 911 | — |
| CZ Czechia | MVČR — living population register 2017 | — | 156 | #1,064 |
Reference works 10
- Dictionary of American Family Names
- The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
- Nederlandse FamilienamenBank (Dutch surname bank; ex-Meertens Instituut, now CBG)2007
- Nişanyan Adlar (Turkish given-name national-registry frequency)
- Wikipedia given-name tokens
- Wikipedia surname tokens
- Wikidata name items (native-script + romanized given/family names)
- Rymut, Słownik nazwisk współcześnie w Polsce używanych (10 vols, IJP PAN, Kraków 1992–1994) — every Polish surname in the PESEL register at the end of 1990, with bearer counts nationally and per voivodeship1990
- jeantosti.com — Dictionnaire des noms de famille de France et d'ailleurs (Jean Tosti)
- Ethiopian name tokens (GitHub lehagere/ethiopian-names, 40/60 condominium list)
These works list the name; their figures are licensed and are not reproduced here.
Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the name Joseph mean, and where does it come from?
- From the male personal name Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef, literally “may he add”. Recorded by Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history].
- What are other forms of the name Joseph?
- In the etymology graph, Jose, Yusuf and José are forms of the same name in other languages; Joe is a recorded short or pet form.
- Is Joseph a male or female name?
- Joseph is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.
- In which country does Joseph have the most bearers?
- In Brazil, the national register counted about 5.2 million people named Jose, more than in any other country we hold.
- How common is the name Joseph?
- In the United States, the national register counted 1,600,667 people named Joseph in 2020, about 1 in 208 residents.
- How common is Joseph compared with other names?
- In Laos, Joseph is the 2nd most common given name of 27,499 given names recorded there.
- How do you pronounce Joseph?
- A machine transcription gives /d͡ʒoʊsəf/ (IPA) for English.
What do you want to know about Joseph?
Nobody replies to these one by one, but what readers ask decides what these pages answer next.
Query this name via API
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" https://api.mondonomo.ai/api/v1/name-graph/josephThe payload this page is built from: spellings and scripts, countries and languages, related names, and the registers that attest the form. It takes a free API key (1,000 requests a day), which returns what this page shows everyone; the full country table, every register citation and the year-by-year series come with a licensed key, as does bulk access.
About this data
measured from records inferred from the name graph machine-generated
These figures come from the data snapshot of and will change as it is rebuilt.
Statistics are aggregated from the Mondonomo name corpus; related names and etymology are inferred from the name graph; pronunciation and any machine-marked transliterations are model-generated. Read how the numbers are made, including their known failure modes, and where the data comes from.
Reference works we consult — surname dictionaries, official name registers, Wikidata and Wiktionary — are named directly, beside the claims they support. The per-country source counts also include datasets of person records: we publish how many there are and their authority tier, but not their names.
Cite this page Mondonomo, “Joseph” — the 2nd most common given name in Laos. Data snapshot 2026-10-10.