Yosef
Masculine · “He will add”
Yosef is the Hebrew name behind Joseph, Giuseppe, José and Yusuf — one of the most widely traveled names on earth, here in the form it started in. In the mouth it is two clean syllables with the stress landing at the end, and it has been shortened to Yossi for generations. Written this way, it stays close to the Genesis text where it first appears.
How old is the name Yosef?
Yosef first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Yosef alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 10,500 people named Yosef are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Yosef most popular?
Yosef peaked in 2024, reaching #606 nationally. Today it ranks #663, 57 places below that high. See the whole 2024 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Yosef to Yosef
The story of Yosef
Yosef is the Hebrew original: יוֹסֵף, borne in Genesis by the son of Jacob and Rachel, the one sold into Egypt and later set over Pharaoh's household. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, the name became Iōsēph, and Latin carried that spelling into every corner of Christian Europe, where it softened into Joseph, Josef, José, Giuseppe and dozens more. Arabic kept its own descendant, Yusuf, from the Quranic account. Meanwhile the Hebrew form itself never went out of use in Jewish communities, and in English-speaking countries it is increasingly written straight from the Hebrew rather than through the Latin — which is how Yosef appears on American birth records, holding a quiet, unbroken place decade after decade.
Meaning
"He will add" — that is, may God add another son
The name comes from the Hebrew root yasaf, "to add." Genesis plays on a second root as well: Rachel first says God has taken away her reproach, then names the child with the wish that God add another son. The wordplay is in the text; the derivation from "to add" is the accepted one.
How the name formed
- Yosef
- Iōsēph
- Ioseph
- Joseph
- Josef
Related forms: Joseph · José · Giuseppe · Yusuf · Josef · Iosif
Pronouncing Yosef
yo-SEF
Hebrew puts the stress on the second syllable: yo-SEF. Many American speakers say YO-sef instead, and both are widely heard. The opening Y is a consonant, as in "yes," not the vowel of Josef.
Nicknames for Yosef
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1951
- Most boys named
- 2024470 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #606reached in 2024
- Change vs 2024
- −12.1%413 in 2025, from 470
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Yosef in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Joseph in English — same name
- José in Spanish — same name
- Giuseppe in Italian — same name
- Yusuf in Arabic / Turkish — same name
- Josef in German / Czech — same name
- Iosif in Russian — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey, California.
Yosefs among us
people named Yosef are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 4,136 born in 2025 was named Yosef
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Durell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Yosef's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Durell climbed just as high around 1985, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Durell's path sketches the road Yosef is walking now.
Yosef sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Yosef is headed
Yosef should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Yosef beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Yosef in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Recognized almost anywhere in some form — Joseph, José, Giuseppe, Yusuf — so the name introduces itself even to people who have never seen this spelling.
- A documented history reaching back to the book of Genesis, with no gap in use since.
- An established short form, Yossi, that has been in real use for generations rather than invented on the spot.
- Honored in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition alike, which is rare and useful in a mixed family.
- The most persistent friction is Joseph. Expect forms, teachers and autocorrect to reach for it, along with Josef, Yoseph and Yusuf. Spelling it out will become routine, though the name is short enough that this costs little.
- Stress placement varies — yo-SEF among Hebrew speakers, YO-sef among many American English speakers. Worth deciding early which one your family uses.
- Use is noticeably concentrated in a few states, New York, New Jersey and California among them. Elsewhere a Yosef will likely be the only one in his school, which some children enjoy and some find tiring.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Yosef to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Yosef? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Yosef
Masculine · #663 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Yosefs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 10,500 people named Yosef are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Yosef in 2025?
- Yosef ranks #663 among US boy names in 2025, with 413 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Yosef?
- About 1 in every 4,136 US boys born in 2025 was named Yosef — 413 in all.
- Will my child share the name Yosef with classmates?
- Yosef will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Yosef
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mauricio#663 · Creed#663 · Layne#662 · Aries#661 · Chaim#666 · Valentin#660 · Lionel#659 · Jaxton#667
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Yosef? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Yosef and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle