Josef
Meaning
variant of Joseph, Hebrew for 'he shall add'
Josef around the world
One shared root links 8 names across 4 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Yosef "he will add", the dreamer with the coat
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Josef peaked in the 1980s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
1,402 people · the #6,568 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 142,857 · median age 25
Among people named Josef living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 156 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Josef
Most people given the name Josef in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Josef you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Josef deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Josef truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Josef fits with your family’s names and surname.
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