Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. In Portuguese and Spanish, the name is "

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...

". In

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, including in the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, the name is spelled , . In Kurdish (''Kurdî''), the name is , Persian, the name is , and in Turkish it is . In Pashto the name is spelled ''Esaf'' (ايسپ) and in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

it is spelled ''Ousep'' (ഔസേപ്പ്). In Tamil, it is spelled as ''Yosepu'' (யோசேப்பு). The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and ''Joseph'' was one of the two names, along with ''

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

'', to have remained in the top 10 boys' names list in the US from 1925 to 1972. It is especially common in contemporary Israel, as either "Yossi" or "Yossef", and in Italy, where the name "Giuseppe" was the most common male name in the 20th century. In the first century CE, Joseph was the second most popular male name for Israeli Jews. In the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

Joseph is Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first son, and known in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Yossef ben- Yaakov. In the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

the most notable two are Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

; and Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus who supplied the tomb in which Jesus was buried.

Etymology

The Bible offers two explanations for the origins of the name ''Yosef'': first, it is compared to the word from the root /'sp/, : "And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God hath ''taken away'' my reproach"; ''Yosef'' is then identified with the similar root /ysp/, meaning : "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The shall ''add'' to me another son."Friedman, R. E., ''The Bible with Sources Revealed'' (2003), p. 80 '' The Jewish Encyclopedia'' says that it is a theophoric name referencing the Tetragrammaton, and in fact his name is spelled ''Jehoseph'', with the theophoric first syllable '' 'Jeho''', once in Psalms. "like all other Hebrew names beginning with the syllable 'Jo,' it has Yhwh as its first element". The name can also consist of the Hebrew ''yadah'' meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ''asaf''.

Variants, diminutives and familiar forms in other languages

Variations for males include: *

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

: Josef, Joesoef * Albanian: Jozef, Zef, Josif, Jozë, Isuf, Bep, Bibë * Alemmanic: Sepp, Seppu * Alsatian: Sepp * Amharic: (Yosēfi) * Aragonese: Chusep, Chusé * Aramaic: (Yawsef, Yowsef) * Armenian: (Hovsep) *

: (Yūsif, Youssef, Yussef, Yousif, Yousef, Youssof, Yūsuf) * Arpitan: Dzozè * Azerbaijani: Yusif, Yusuf, Usub *

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

: Joseba, Josepe * Bavarian: Sepp, Bepperl, Beppe, Beppi, * Belarusian: (Iosif), (Jazep) * Bengali: (Iusuf or Yusuf) (Islamic), (Josef) (Christian) * Betawi: Yusuf, Yusup, Ucup. * Bosnian: Josip, Jusuf * Breton: Jozef, Jozeb * Bulgarian: (Yosif) * Burmese (Myanmar): (Yaw sautsai) * Cantonese: (Joek sat) * Catalan: Josep, Pep (shortened form), Jep (an alternative shortened form) * Circassian: (Yusyf) * Cornish: Josep * Corsican: Ghjaseppu, Ghjiseppu; Diminutives: Ghjasè, Ghjisè * Croatian: Josip, Joso, Jozo, Joza, Joze, Joško, Joža, Jože, Bepo, Bepi, Bapi, Pino, Osíp, Bozo, Gonzo, Ganso * Czech: Josef; Diminutives: Pepa, Peppa, Pepík, Pepik, Jožka, Pepan, Pepča, Pepek, Pepino, Jožin * Danish: Josef * Dutch: Jozef, Josephus; Diminutives: Joep, Joost, Jos, Jo, Jef, Seppe * English: Joseph, Diminutives: Jo, Joe, Joey, Josy, Jossy, Josey, Jos, Josie * Estonian: Joosep, Joosu * Faroese: Jósef * Fijian: Josefa * Filipino: Joseph, José, Pepe, Peping, Sep, Jojo * Finnish: Jooseppi, Juuso * French: José, Joseph, Jojo * Friulian: Josef, 'Sef, 'Sefin, 'Sefut, Bepi, Bepo, Beput * Galician: Xosé * Georgian: (Ioseb), (Soso) * German: Joscha, Josef, Joseph; Jupp (familiar); Sepp, Seppl or Pepi (familiar or diminutive forms, particularly in South Germany and Austria) * Greek: (Iosif), (Iosipos), (Sifis) (local in Crete) * Gujarati: (Jōsēfa) * Hawaiian: Iokepa *

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: (Yosef), (Yossi) (diminutive) * Hiligaynon: José, Josef, Josep (rare) *

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: (Yūsuf) * Hungarian: József, Jóska, Józsi (diminutive) * Icelandic: Jósef, Jói * Igbo: Yôsēp̄, Yossef, Josef * Indonesian: Joesoef, Josef, Joseph, Jusuf, Ucup, Yosef, Yosep, Yusuf, Yusup, Yoseph, Yosi * Italian: Giuseppe, Giù, Beppe, Peppe, Peppino, Pepino, Pino, Bepi, Beppo, Pippo, Puccio, Gioseffo, Gio or Giò * Irish: Seosamh, Iósaf * Japanese: (Yosefu), (Josefu) * Kambaata: Yeseffe, Yese, Josse, Jossy *

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

: (Jōseph) * Kashmiri: (Yūsuf) * Kazakh: Yusuf, Jusip * Khmer: (Yousaep) * Korean: (Yosep), (Josep) * Kurdish (''Kurdî''): Ûsiv, Yûsiv * Kyrgyz: (Jusup), Юс * Latvian: Jāzeps, Jozefs, Josefs, Josifs, Džozefs, Žozefs, Jusufs, Jozis, Zeps, Seps * Limburgish: Joep, Sef * Lithuanian: Juozapas, Juozas (shorter form), Juzas, Juzė (diminutive), Justas * Lombard: Usèp, Jusèp, Bèp * Macedonian: (J̌osif) *

: (Josapp) or (Josappan), (Ousepp), (Yosepp), (Kochaappu), (Eeppan), (Jōsaph), (Iype) * Malaysian: Yusuf, Yusop, Yusoff, Jusoh, Eusoff, Usop * Manado Malay: Josef, Yosef, Oce' * Maltese: Ġużeppi, Ġużi, Ġuż, Ġużè, Peppi, Peppu, Peppinu, Pepp, Peppa, Pepa, Żeppi, Żeppu, Żepp * Mandarin: zh, s=约瑟, t=約瑟, p=(Yuēsè), zh, s=约瑟夫, t=約瑟夫, p=(Yuēsèfū), zh, s=玉素甫, p=Yùsùfǔ, Zho-Zi-Fu * Marathi: (Jōsēfa) * Māori: Hohepa * Mongolian: (Iosyef) * Nepali: (Yūsupha) * Norwegian: Josef * Occitan: Josèp * Persian: (Youssef, Yūsuf, Yussef) * Polish: Józef, Józek (diminutive), Józio (diminutive) * Portuguese: José, Josefo, Joséf; diminutive forms: Zé, Zeca, Zezé * Provençal: Jóusè * Punjabi: (Yūsufa) * Quechua: Husiy * Romanian: Iosif, Iosub * Romansch: Giusep, Gisep, Giusi, Sepp * Russian: (Iosif), (Osip), (Peppa) * Samoan: Iosefa, Sefa * Sardinian: Josepe, Zosepe, Gisepu *

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: Seòsaidh, Eòsaph, Iòsaph * Serbian: (Josif), (Josip), (Josef), (Jozef) * Sepedi: Josefa * Sicilian: Giuseppi * Silesian: Zefel, Zeflik (diminutive) * Sinhala: (Juse), (Jōsēf) * Slovak: Jozef, Jožo, Dodo, Ďoďo, Dodô, Doido * Slovene: Jožef, Jože * Somali: * Spanish:

; hypocoristic versions: Pepe, Chepe, Che, Cheo, Chelo * Sundanese: Ucup, Yusup, Yosep * Swahili: Yusuph, Yusufu, Yosefu * Swedish: Josef * Sylheti: (Yusuf) * Syriac: (Yosip, Yausef, Ossi) * Tagalog: Jose, Pepe, Peping * Tamil: (sūsai), (yōcēppu) * Tajik: (Yusuf) * Telugu: (Yōsepu) * Thai: (Co sef, Josef) * Tongan: Siosefa * Turkish: Yusuf * Turkmen: Yusup * Tyap: * Ukrainian: (Josyp), (Osyp) * (Yūsuf) * Uzbek: Yusuf *

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

: Josep * Venetian: Juxepe, Bepi, Bepin, Bapi * Vietnamese: Giu-se or Giô-xếp or Yuse or Giô-sép * Vilamovian: Juza * Welsh: Joseff, Ioseff (or, less commonly, Iosep) *

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: Yissl, Yussel, Jayzl * Yoruba: Josefu, Yusufu * Shona: Joze, Joza * Zulu: uJosef

Female forms

* Albanian: Jozefina, Zefina * Catalan: Josepa, Pepa, Peppa (shortened) * Cornish: Josepa * Croatian: Josipa, Josica, Jozica * Czech: Josefina, Josefa, Jozeva * Dutch: José, Josefien * English: Jo, Josephine, Joette, Posy, Posie * French: Joséphine, Josephte, Josepthe * Friulian: Josefe, 'Sefe, Pine * Greek: (Iosiphina) * Hungarian: Jozefa, Jozefina, Józsa * Indonesian: Yosephine, Josefa, Josepha, Josephira, Josephine, Josephina, Yosefin, Yosefina, Josefina, Yosepha * Irish: Seosaimhín * Italian: Giuseppa, Giuseppina * Maltese: Ġuża, Ġużeppa * Norwegian: Josefine, Josephine * Polish: Józefina, Józefa, Józia (shortened) * Portuguese: Josefa, Josefina, José (mainly in the compound Maria José), Zezé (nickname) * Romansh: Giuseppa, Giuseppina * Samoan: Iosefina * Sardinian: Josepa, Zosepa, Zosepedda * Slovak: Jozefína, Jozefa * Spanish: Josefa, Josefina, Josefita * Swedish: Josefin, Josefine, Josephine, Josefina *

: Jayzl, Yissl

People

Biblical figures

Joseph (Genesis) Joseph (; ) is an important Hebrews, Hebrew figure in the Bible's Book of Genesis. He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth named child and eleventh son). He is the founder of the Tribe of Joseph among the Israelites. ...

, son of Jacob in the Hebrew Bible book of Genesis * Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus * Joseph of Arimathea, secret disciple of Jesus * Joseph Barsabbas, one of two candidates to replace Judas Iscariot's position among the Twelve Apostles * Joseph ben Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest related to the crucifixion of Jesus. Only written as 'Caiaphas' in the

Royalty

* Austria ** Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor ** Joseph II of Austria ** Franz Joseph I of Austria ** Archduke Joseph August of Austria ** Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria * Portugal **

Joseph I of Portugal '' Dom'' Joseph I (; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other activities, Joseph was devoted to hunting and the opera. ...

, King of Portugal ** Joseph, Prince of Brazil ** Joseph, General Inquisitor (1720–1801) – a natural son of King John V of Portugal, one of the ''Children of Palhavã''. * Spain/Italy/France ** Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples * Other ** Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria ** Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King of Bavaria ** Joseph (Khazar), king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s ** Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Spain

Politics and government

* Chief Joseph (1840–1904), Nez Perce tribal leader * Joseph "Jo" Abbott (1840–1908), U.S. congressman from Texas * John Joseph Abercrombie (1798–1877), career U.S. Army officer * Joseph Arthur Ankrah (1915–1992), 2nd president of Ghana from 1966 to 1969 * Joseph F. Baca (born 1936), chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court * Joseph Belmont (1947–2022), Seychellois politician * Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden (born 1942), 46th president of the United States (2021–2025); 47th vice president of the United States (2009–2017); U.S. senator from Delaware (1973–2009) * Joseph "Beau" Robinette Biden (1969–2015), American lawyer, soldier and politician, son of Joe Biden * Joseph Caillaux (1863–1944), French politician and Minister of France * Joseph Carraro (born 1944), former New Mexico state senator * Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914), British statesman, diplomats, and businessman * Joseph Chan Ho-lim, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, and a former member of the Central and Western District Council (Peak Constituency) in Hong Kong. * Joseph Warren Coker (1930–2019), American politician * Joseph Cook (1860–1947), 6th prime minister of Australia * Joseph Dudley (1647–1720), British military commander and colonial administrator * Joseph Estrada (born 1937), 13th president of the Philippines * Joseph Galletta, American politician * Joseph Isaac Gnanamuttu (died 1944), Sri Lankan Tamil politician * Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), German politician and propaganda minister of Nazi Germany * Joseph A. Greene, state senator in South Carolina * Joseph Hemphill (1770–1842), U.S. congressman from Pennsylvania * Joseph Hillström (1879-1915), Swedish-American labour activist and songwriter * Joseph Coulon de Jumonville (1718–1754), French Canadian military officer * Joseph Kabila (born 1971), 4th president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Joseph Kabui (1954–2008), first president of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville * Jusuf Kalla (born 1942), 10th vice president of Indonesia (2004–2009); 12th vice president of Indonesia (2014–2019) * Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, financier and politician * Joseph P. Kennedy II (born 1952), oldest son of Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and former congressman from Massachusetts * Joe Kennedy III (born 1980), son of Joseph P. Kennedy II and former congressman from Massachusetts * Joe Kennedy (Georgia politician) (1930–1997), American politician from Georgia * Joseph Abu Khalil (1925–2019), Lebanese politician and journalist * Joe Lieberman (1942–2024), U.S. senator from Connecticut * Joseph Lyons (1879–1939), 10th prime minister of Australia * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), French diplomat * Joseph Carlisle McAlhany (1915–2005), American politician *

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...

(1908–1957), U.S. senator from Wisconsin * Joseph Henry Mensah (1928–2018), Ghanaian economist and politician * Joseph P. Nadeau (born 1936), justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court * Joseph Bennet Odunton (1920–2004), Ghanaian civil servant * Joseph Michael Perera (1941–2023), Sri Lankan politician * Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay (born 1934), Singaporean civil servant * Joseph Planta (1787–1847), English politician * Joseph "Beppo" Schmid (1901–1956), Air force general in Nazi Germany * Joseph Hill Sinex (1819–1892), Pennsylvania State Representative * Joseph Plunkett (1887–1916), Irish Republican and Poet * Joseph Howland (1834–1886), American general, politician, and philanthropist *

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

(1878–1953), General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1922–1953 * Joseph Vidal (1933–2020), French politician * Joseph Wapasha ( 1816–1876), Mdewakanton Sioux chief

Arts and entertainment

* Joseph Albrier, French painter * Joe Alwyn, British actor * Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist * Joseph Bertolozzi (born 1959), American composer * Joseph Beuys, German artist * Joseph Bitangcol, Filipino actor * Joseph Brodsky, Russian and American poet and essayist * Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, Indian actor * Harry Connick, Jr. (Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.), American singer, actor and pianist * Joseph Connors, American art historian * Joseph Conrad, Polish-British writer * Joseph Cotten, American actor * Joseph Delaney (1945–2022), English author * Joseph Dempsie, British actor * Joseph Dennie, American writer * Joe Dolan, Irish showband singer * Joseph Garrett (born 1990), known online as stampylonghead, British YouTube personality * Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor * Joseph Hahn, American musician * Joe Hawley, American singer, songwriter, and musician * Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer * Joseph Heller, American author * Joseph Turner Henderson, known as Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson (1920–1980), Scottish pianist, composer and broadcaster * Michael Joseph Jackson (1958–2009), American singer * Joe Jonas, lead vocals, the Jonas Brothers * Joseph Kaiser, Canadian opera singer * Joseph Koo, Hong Kong composer and arranger * Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American film director, producer and screenwriter * Joseph Marco, Filipino actor * Joseph May, British-born Canadian-American actor * Joseph Mawle, British actor * Joseph Mazzello, American actor * Joe McElderry, British singer and winner of ''The X Factor'' * Joseph Carey Merrick, the "Elephant Man" * Joseph Peter Moraes Fernando, also known as Premnath Moraes (1923–1998), Sri Lankan Tamil actor, film director and screenwriter * Joseph Nevels, also known as JSPH, singer/songwriter * Joe Pasquale, winner of the 4th series of ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'' * Joe Perry, Aerosmith lead guitarist * Joe Pesci, American actor * Joseph Pickett, American painter * Joe Ranft, American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor * Joe Ruby (1933–2020), American cartoonist and producer * Joe Sasto, American chef * Joe Satriani, instrumental rock guitarist * Joseph Simmons, aka DJ Run, of rap group Run-DMC * Joseph Simmons (guitarist), American guitarist * Joe Strummer, English musician * Joe Sugg, British YouTuber * Joseph Tetsuro Bizinger, known online as The Anime Man, Japanese Australian YouTuber, voice actor, songwriter, and podcaster * Joss Whedon, American screenwriter, director and producer * Joseph Wiseman (1918–2009), Canadian actor

Sports

* Joseph "Doc" Alexander, American NFL football player and coach * Joseph Anoa'i, Samoan-American wrestler * Jos Buttler, English cricketer * Joseph Charlton (born 1997), American football player * Joe Choynski, American boxer * Joe Clancy, American football player * Joseph Daye, Australian footballer * Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player * Joe Frazier, American boxer * Joe Garagiola, American baseball player and broadcaster * Joe Gomez, English footballer * Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast * Joe Hart, English football player * Joe Horlen, American baseball player *

Joe Jacobi Joseph Bennet Jacobi (born September 26, 1969 in Washington, D.C.) is an American former whitewater slalom, slalom canoeist who competed from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the Canoeing a ...

, American canoer * Joe Jacobson, Welsh soccer player * Joe Kaminer, South African rugby player * Joe Katchik, American football player * Joe Keeble, American football player * Joe Kehoskie (born 1973), American baseball executive * Joe Lamas, American football player * Joseph Loake, British racing driver * Joseph Louis Barrow, American boxer and heavyweight champion better known as "Joe Louis" * Joe Magidsohn, Russian, American football player * Joseph Marwa (boxer), Tanzanian boxer * Joe Mauer, American baseball player * Joe McGlone (1896–1963), American football player * Joe Minucci (born 1981), American football player * Joe Montana, American Hall of Fame NFL quarterback *

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943), nicknamed "Broadway Joe", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seaso ...

(born 1943), American Hall of Fame NFL quarterback * Joseph Noteboom (born 1995), American football player * Joseph Odom (born 1992), American professional baseball catcher * Joe O'Malley, American football player * Joseph Oosting, Dutch football player * Joseph Paulo, New Zealand rugby player * Joe Paterno, Penn State football coach * Joe Pavelski (born 1984), American ice hockey player * Joe Picker (born 1987), Australian rugby player * Joe Prokop (born 1960), American football player * Joe Prokop (halfback) (1921–1995), American football player * Joe Root, English cricketer * Joe Righetti (born 1947), American football player * Joseph Scates (born 2000), American football player * Joe Schilling, American kick-boxer * Joseph Schooling (born 1995), Singaporean swimmer * Joe Stringfellow (1918–1992), American football player * Joseph Tapine (born 1994), New Zealand rugby league player * Joseph Ualesi, Australian rugby player * Joseph Valtellini (born 1985), Canadian kickboxer * Joe Vetrano (1918–1995), American football player * Joe Vodicka, American football player * Joe Winkler (1922–2001), American football player * Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (born 1974), Sri Lankan cricketer

Religion

* Joseph Ayo Babalola, Nigerian religious figure * Joseph Di Mambro (1924–1994), French cult leader * Joseph Gelfer, British researcher in religion and masculinities * Joseph Kibweteere (born 1932, disappeared 2000), Ugandan cult leader * Joseph F. Merrill, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Joseph (Petrovykh) (1872–1937), metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church * Joseph Ponniah, 1st Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Batticaloa * Joseph Prince, a pastor and IT consultant * Joseph Ratzinger, given name of Pope Benedict XVI * Joseph Sarvananthan, Sri Lankan Tamil Anglican priest * Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement * Joseph Smith III, son of Joseph Smith and founder of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints * Joseph F. Smith, 6th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Joseph of Vatopedi (1921–2009), Greek Cypriot Orthodox monk * Joseph Vaz, Indian Catholic priest, "Apostle of Sri Lanka" * Joseph B. Wirthlin, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Joseph Angell Young, American Latter-day Saint apostle * Rayappu Joseph, 2nd Bishop of Mannar

Scholars

* Joseph von Baader (1763–1835), German engineer and rail transport pioneer * Joseph Antony Cafazzo, Canadian engineer, educator and researcher * Joseph Campbell, American writer and professor * Joseph W. Esherick, American historian of China * Joseph Peter de Fonseka (1897–1948), Sri Lankan essayist and editor *

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

, British botanist * Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), French philosopher * Joseph Mercado, Filipino statistician * Joseph S. Murphy (1933–1998), American political scientist and university administrator * Joseph Nye (1937–2025), American political scientist * Joseph Planta (1744–1828), Swiss principal librarian of the British Museum * Joseph Polchinski, theoretical physicist and string theorist * Joe Root, a 19th-century American naturalist from Erie,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Inventors

* Joseph Glidden (1813–1906), inventor of barbed wire * Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833), first person to create a permanent photograph

Criminals

* Joseph Armone (1917–1992), American mobster * Joseph Baldi (1941–2009), American serial killer * Joseph D. "Joe" Ball (1896–1938), American murderer and suspected serial killer * Joseph Barboza (1932–1976), American hitman * Joseph Breslin (1950–1982), American serial killer * Joey Buttafuoco (born 1956), American man who had an affair with 17 year-old Amy Fisher * Joseph Christopher (1955–1993), American serial killer * Joseph Danks (born 1962), American spree/serial killer * Joseph James DeAngelo (born 1945), American serial killer and rapist and former cop * Joseph Edward Duncan (1963–2021), American serial killer, rapist, and kidnapper * Joseph Eisele (1834–1868), German serial killer * Joe Exotic (born 1963), American media personality convicted of animal abuse and conspiring murder for hire * Joseph Paul Franklin (1950–2013), American serial killer and neo-nazi * Joseph M.L. Gardner (1970–2008), American murderer * Joseph Stephen Holt (1947–2014), American posthumously linked murderer and possible serial killer * Joseph Kallinger (1935–1996), American serial killer and rapist * Joseph Kondro (1959–2012), American murderer and possible serial killer * Joseph Magaletti (1950–2015), American murderer and suspected serial killer * Joseph Massino (1943–2023), former boss of Bonanno crime family * Joseph Mengele (1911–1979), Nazi scientist * Joseph Robert Miller (born 1955), American serial killer * Joseph P. Moran (1895–1934), American surgeon and gangster * Joseph Naso (born 1934), American serial killer * Joseph Scott Pemberton, a US Marine lance corporal convicted of the homicide of Jennifer Laude, a Filipino trans woman * Joseph Rosenzweig, (c.1891–?), American New York City labor racketeer * Joseph "Chip" Skowron (born c.1969), American portfolio manager convicted of insider trading * Joseph Ture Jr. (born 1951), American serial killer, kidnapper, and burglar * Joseph T. Wesbecker (1942–1989), American mass murderer who perpetrated the Standard Gravure shooting

Other

* Joseph Force Crater (fl. 1889–1930), New York judge who disappeared * Joseph Fenton, informer killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army * Joseph Fitzgerald (disambiguation), multiple people * Joseph Goldwasser Polish-born American businessman * Joseph Hedley, English quilter and murder victim * Joseph B. MacInnis (born 1937), Canadian physician, underwater diver and author * Joseph Oliver (disambiguation), multiple people * Joseph Safra (1938–2020), Brazilian banker * Joseph Shuster (1914-1992), Canadian-American comic artist, best known for creating

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

* Joseph Thornton (1808–1891), English bookseller based in Oxford * Joseph Wallace (1989–1993), American murder victim * Joseph Wilf (1925–2016), Polish-born American businessman

Fictional characters

* Joseph Desaulniers, a hunter in the video game '' Identity V'' * Joseph Goldberg, main character in the Netflix series '' You'' * Joseph Joestar (ジョセフ・ジョースター), the main protagonist of '' Battle Tendency'' in the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' * Joseph Seed, a recurring character in the ''Far Cry'' video game franchise * Joseph Tribbiani, a main character in TV show ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'' and it's spin-off '' Joey'' * Joseph Wilford, the main antagonist in the Netflix series '' Snowpiercer'' * Joe Josephson, a Broadway producer in the musical Merrily We Roll Along

References

{{given name English-language masculine given names English masculine given names German masculine given names Masculine given names Hebrew masculine given names Modern names of Hebrew origin Given names of Hebrew language origin