The surname Joseph
A Hebrew patronymic surname, carried by 100,959 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒoʊsəf/ 2 syllables Soundex J210 Also a first name
Origin
Hebrew origin
From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. Noun sense 1 (“one whose chastity is above temptation”) is a reference to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39.
Joseph is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
One of 51 Hebrew surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 100,959 people named Joseph in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,058 Americans. That is up 26% since 2000, when the Census counted 80,030.
Who is named Joseph
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
54% of people named Joseph identified as Black (not Hispanic), 30% as white (not Hispanic) and 9.8% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
- Black (not Hispanic) 54%
- White (not Hispanic) 30%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 9.8%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
- Two or more races 2.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Famous Josephs
21 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Tyler JosephAmerican singer, rapper and record producer, born 1988
- Aubrey JosephAmerican actor and rapper, born 1997
- Bradley JosephAmerican composer, pianist, keyboardist, arranger, producer, recording artist, born 1965
- Kimberley JosephAustralian film director, born 1973
- Paterson JosephBritish actor, born 1964
- Helen JosephBritish-born South African activist (1905-1992)
- Keith JosephBritish Conservative politician (1918–1994)
- Jackie JosephAmerican actress, born 1933
- Shahadi Wright JosephAmerican actress, singer and dancer, born 2005
- Ronald JosephAmerican pair skater, 1944–2026
- Vivian JosephAmerican pair skater, born 1948
- Max JosephAmerican film director, film producer and film editor, born 1982
Notable Josephs come mostly from the United States (13), the United Kingdom (2) and Antigua and Barbuda (2).
Other Hebrew surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname Joseph come from?
- From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. Noun sense 1 (“one whose chastity is above temptation”) is a reference to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39.
- How common is the surname Joseph?
- 100,959 people in the United States had the surname Joseph in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,058 Americans. It ranked 313th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Joseph?
- In the 2010 Census, 54% of people named Joseph identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 30% as white (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Joseph?
- Tyler Joseph, American singer, rapper and record producer, followed by Aubrey Joseph.
- Where is the surname Joseph most common?
- Wikidata records people named Joseph in the United States, the United Kingdom and Antigua and Barbuda and 3 other countries.
- How do you pronounce Joseph?
- Joseph is /ˈd͡ʒoʊsəf/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Joseph?
- Joseph is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Joseph getting more or less common?
- More common. 80,030 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 100,959 in 2010, up 26%.
- Is Joseph also a first name?
- Yes. Joseph is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.