Joseph

Meaning: God will add
Origin: Hebrew

Nicknames: Joe, Joey, Joby, Joie, Jos

Boy's name · #29 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Joseph has held steady since 1880, standing at #29 in 2025. At one stretch it held the national top 10 for 56 consecutive years.

Across the states

See where Joseph is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Joseph ranks in other countries and regions.

#33 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #54 in N. Ireland (2025) · #56 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #60 in England & Wales (2025) · #64 in New Zealand (2025) · #65 in Ireland (2025) · #65 in Scotland (2025) · #66 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #67 in Ecuador (2025) · #77 in France (2025) · #148 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #334 in Austria (2025) and 8 more.

Famous Josephs

Joseph Stalin — Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953
Joseph Haydn — Austrian composer (1732–1809)
Joseph Fourier — French mathematician and physicist (1768–1830)
Joseph Conrad — Polish-British writer (1857–1924)
Joseph Brodsky — Russian-American poet (1940–1996)

In stories & tradition

Joseph — Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
Joseph of Arimathea — Gospel of Luke (Bible)
Joseph — Book of Genesis (Bible)

What Josephs become

Among 19,787 notable people named Joseph:

Lawyers & judges appear 2.08× more often than among typical names — e.g. Joseph de Maistre, Sardinian philosopher (1753–1821).

Twin names

Popular twin pairings with Joseph include Jacob, Joshua, and John for boys.

Spellings & nicknames

About 270 boys a year are given Joe as their full name, 260 Joey, and 65 girls Joie.

Similar names: Jose · David · John · James · Joshua · Daniel

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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