Yusuf
Meaning
Arabic form of Joseph ("God will increase"); many families use the English "Joseph" interchangeably in daily American life
Say it: YOO-suf
The story
Yusuf is Joseph in Arabic, the same patriarch of Egypt read in another alphabet, the Arabic and the English descending as cognate forms of the same Hebrew Yosef. Joseph runs at about 2.6 million boys in our records; Yusuf's own American record begins in earnest in the 1970s: about 390 that decade, 740 in the 1990s, 2,000 in the 2000s, 4,360 in the 2010s, and 3,470 so far this decade, boys without one recorded girl, about 11,500 of them all told. The singer once called Cat Stevens has answered to Yusuf for decades now, which gave the name a gentle and famous ambassador on stages around the world. One patriarch, two cognate forms, and a family free to keep both.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Yusuf peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
22 people · the #116,443 first name in Brazil · median age 22
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Yusuf
Most people given the name Yusuf in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Yusuf deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Yusuf 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 Yusuf fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Yusuf travels
British and London · God increases (Arabic form of Joseph)
Somali · Somali form of Joseph: God will increase
Turkish · God increases (Turkish form of Joseph)
Keep exploring
Somali baby names · Turkish baby names · Arab American baby names · British and London baby names · Arabic baby names
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