Joseph
The English spelling of Józef, from the Hebrew for "he will add". In Poland it stays rare: only about 1,300 men carry it, and most Poles have never met one.
Joseph Pronunciation
What Joseph means
Where Joseph comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
The name Joseph reaches back to the Hebrew Yosef, and its meaning is plain enough: "he will add." In the Book of Genesis, Joseph is the son sold by his brothers who rises to govern Egypt, a story that carried the name into Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition alike. The English form Joseph settled into common use after the Reformation, and it has held a place among the steadier boys' names in English-speaking countries ever since.
Polish keeps its own shape of the sound. Here the boy is Józef, and the register at a Kraków school will list him that way. The feminine Józefa grows from the same root. The old blessing behind the name, "niech Bóg przyda," reads as a wish for another child, another good year.
Saints gave the name its calendar. Saint Joseph the carpenter, husband of Mary, anchors the imieniny on the nineteenth of March.
How many people are named Joseph
1 in 16050 men in Poland is named Joseph. 1,330 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #839 among male names.
Joseph's popularity over time
6 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #864 among newborns. It has been stable for a decade. Still the #839 name among living men, even as it slips to #864 among newborns.
Where Joseph is most popular
Joseph is most popular in Lesser Poland, 165% above the national average (5 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Masovian (+137%) and Pomeranian (+63%).
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Lesser Poland5 boys born+165%
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Masovian7 boys born+137%
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Pomeranian2 boys born+63%
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Lower Silesian2 boys born+53%
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Silesian2 boys born+6%
Joseph as a middle name
Joseph is a first name for 1,330 men in Poland and a middle name for another 2,419, a 35/65 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 165th, between Kornel (2,469) and Kumar (2,318).
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#163 Beniamin2,470
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#164 Kornel2,469
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#165 Joseph2,419
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#166 Kumar2,318
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#167 Walerian2,291