Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Joseph

Say it JOH-sef 2 syllables

Hebrew · “(God) shall add”

Common across France, the UK, Ontario, and 6 more places. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

1 in 207 boys born in Northern Ireland in 2025. Number 54 there.

Joseph in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 11, rare in 18.
Joseph in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales59 (down)20258111 in 335382020
Scotland65 (up)2025711 in 277692020
Northern Ireland54 (down)2025401 in 207362020
Ireland64 (down)2025861 in 276592020
North America
Ontario (province)49 (down)2024208about 1 in 288452019
Quebec (province)137 (up)202547about 1 in 6181392020
British Columbia (province)101 (down)202334about 1 in 383582018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)33 (up)2025176492020
Victoria (state)66 (up)2025106932020
Queensland (state)55 (down)202595542020
South Australia (state)68 (up)202527732020
New Zealand62 (up)202560662020
Western Europe
France77 (down)20257851 in 386752020
Netherlands486 (up)202530about 1 in 2,2188022020
Central Europe
Austria326 (down)2025171 in 2,2392582020
Switzerland514 (up)2025141 in 2,5715182020
Berlin (city)418 (down)20237about 1 in 2,2163272018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list20252592020
Cologne (city)418 (down)20232about 1 in 3,1893452018
Bonn (city)397 (down)20251about 1 in 3,1703812020
Leipzig (city)170 (up)20253about 1 in 9592832020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway448 (down)202551 in 4,6564432020
Sweden343 (down)202521about 1 in 2,0542902020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)544 (new in the list)202551 in 4,141Not listed2020
Italy249 (new in the list)2024581 in 3,265Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland419 (down)202561 in 21,0673402020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as ג'וזף)699 (down)20249about 1 in 9,4554522019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

In Genesis, Joseph is the son of Jacob. It comes from the Hebrew Yoséf, '(God) shall add'. Yusuf is its double.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, JOH-sef, and a warm, steady sound. Joe and Joey are the everyday short forms, and related names include Jose, Josef, Giuseppe, Josep and Seosamh.

Joseph appears in the lists for New South Wales, Ontario and Northern Ireland, and further down in France, Italy and Austria. French records show it at its most common in the 1920s. Its current trend is mixed, with about as many places rising as falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
JOH-sef · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“(God) shall add”
Origin
Hebrew
Related names
Yusuf, Joe, Joey, Jose, Josip, Giuseppe, Josef, Josep, Jozef, Jozsef, Yosef, Joep, Jo, Jos, Seosamh, Jooseppi, Joža, Jožko, Josif, Osip, Juozapas, Juozas, Jusuf, Iosif
Where Joseph comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Joseph. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Joseph over time

Rising in 5 of the 21 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Peak in France: 1925.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Joseph in England and Wales: #8 in 1996, a peak of #7 in 2000, and #59 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #8, 6,193 boys1997: #8, 5,809 boys1998: #9, 5,411 boys1999: #8, 5,875 boys2000: #7, 5,877 boys2001: #8, 5,256 boys2002: #8, 5,051 boys2003: #10, 4,828 boys2004: #10, 5,030 boys2005: #10, 4,523 boys2006: #11, 4,279 boys2007: #13, 3,871 boys2008: #13, 3,764 boys2009: #14, 3,613 boys2010: #15, 3,496 boys2011: #18, 3,089 boys2012: #22, 3,074 boys2013: #19, 3,225 boys2014: #19, 3,041 boys2015: #21, 2,786 boys2016: #22, 2,506 boys2017: #28, 2,153 boys2018: #27, 1,989 boys2019: #34, 1,678 boys2020: #38, 1,437 boys2021: #46, 1,307 boys2022: #50, 1,158 boys2023: #54, 994 boys2024: #56, 946 boys2025: #59, 811 boys#8 in 1996peak #7, 2000#59in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199686,193
199785,809
199895,411
199985,875
200075,877
200185,256
200285,051
2003104,828
2004105,030
2005104,523
2006114,279
2007133,871
2008133,764
2009143,613
2010153,496
2011183,089
2012223,074
2013193,225
2014193,041
2015212,786
2016222,506
2017282,153
2018271,989
2019341,678
2020381,437
2021461,307
2022501,158
202354994
202456946
202559811

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Joseph in France since 1925 were born in or after 1940. Peak: 1925, about 2,503 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 2,342.4 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 2,068.7 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 1,703.1 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1,271 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 776.9 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 621.9 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 475.7 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 398.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 265.9 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 151.5 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 105.9 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 96.5 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 82.6 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 87.3 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 99.6 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 106.4 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 120.2 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 151.7 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 218.9 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 241.5 per 100,000 boys20202025: 259.3 per 100,000 boys20251925-1929: about 1 in 43 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19292,342.4
1930–19342,068.7
1935–19391,703.1
1940–19441,271
1945–1949776.9
1950–1954621.9
1955–1959475.7
1960–1964398.8
1965–1969265.9
1970–1974151.5
1975–1979105.9
1980–198496.5
1985–198982.6
1990–199487.3
1995–199999.6
2000–2004106.4
2005–2009120.2
2010–2014151.7
2015–2019218.9
2020–2024241.5
2025259.3

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Joseph

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Joseph, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 145, Ireland

  2. 1 in 105, Ireland

  3. 1 in 487, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 322, Scotland

  5. 1 in 110, Norway

  6. 1 in 308, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 92, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  9. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 622, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Joseph

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Joseph's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Joseph Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials J.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Joseph

Sisters for Joseph: Ruth, Mary, Elizabeth, and 5 more
  1. RuthRose and fell with Joseph · Same generation as Joseph
  2. MaryRose and fell with Joseph · Hebrew, like Joseph
  3. ElizabethRose and fell with Joseph · As common as Joseph
  4. EleanorRose and fell with Joseph · As common as Joseph
  5. AnnieRose and fell with Joseph · As common as Joseph
  6. MadeleineRose and fell with Joseph · Same generation as Joseph
  7. NicoleRose and fell with Joseph · Same generation as Joseph
  8. MargaretRose and fell with Joseph · Same generation as Joseph

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Joseph

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Joseph's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  4. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 19 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  6. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  7. Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Israel, and 7 more places.

  8. Common in England and Wales, the Netherlands, Austria, and 12 more places.

Famous people named Joseph

Joseph Haydn, Joseph Fourier, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Joseph

How popular is Joseph in New South Wales?

Joseph ranked #33 in New South Wales in 2025, given to 176 boys.

Is Joseph rising in popularity?

It is rising and falling in about as many places. Rising in 5 of the 21 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 5. Rising in: New South Wales, Victoria, Catalonia, Netherlands, and Leipzig.

What does Joseph mean?

Joseph means “(God) shall add”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Joseph have?

Joseph has 2 syllables: JOH-sef.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

0kept

Kept names collect here.

Compare