Josef

Josef - A very unique male name

Josef appeared on the charts for the first time in 1913 on position #1175. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Josef and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Josef? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Josef. The baby boy name Josef was given to 15 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2723 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 97,752 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Josef peaked in popularity 42 years ago in 1984 on position 658.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Josef, 1-5?

Josef is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Josef is currently topping the baby name charts in New York at position #1,251 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,414.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Josef is where you live.

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Josef origin and meaning

German, Scandinavian and Central European form of Joseph

A form of Joseph — Hebrew Yosef, 'God will add (increase)'

Josef is the everyday form of Joseph across Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and Central Europe. In the US it has been a small immigrant-community alternative to Joseph since 1913, peaking in 2001.

Attested etymology

Josef is a 5 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Josef, pop culture references for the name Josef and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Josef

We've found the following names that sound similar to Josef, sorted by popularity.

Joseph / Jacob / Jeff / Jakob / Joesph / Jacoby / Jakobe / Jaycob / Jacobi / Jacobo /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Josef

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Josef a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Josef?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

YOH-sef · /ˈjoʊsɛf/
German speakers say YOH-sef; in the US it is often anglicised to JOH-sef

Around the world

• Josef (German) — The standard German form, used as-is
• Josef (Czech) — The standard Czech form

Spellings and nicknames

• Joseph — The English standard form
• Jozef — Slovak and Polish-style spelling

Nicknames: SeppJo

Famous bearers

• Josef Albers — German-born artist and Bauhaus teacher known for his colour studies (1888–1976) Historical

Style

InternationalBiblicalClassic

Why parents choose it

Josef signals European heritage while staying immediately recognisable to English speakers.

Worth knowing

• In the US it will be treated as a misspelling of Joseph unless the heritage reason is known