The first name Joseph

Discover the meaning and origin of the first name Joseph, its history and its evolution in baptism records preserved in Genealogy Quebec’s collections.

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About the first name Joseph

Meaning

The name Joseph traditionally means “he will add” or “God will add”.

Historical origin

The name Joseph comes from the Hebrew Yôsef, a biblical name spread in Europe through Jewish and Christian traditions.

Did you know?

Joseph also appears in several compound names, for example Joseph-Adélard, Joseph-Aimé and Joseph-Albert. This productivity helps explain the many related forms found in historical records.

Pronunciation:jo-zèfʒo.zɛf

Frequency of the first name Joseph by baptism year

The chart below shows the frequency of the first name Joseph by the year of baptisms listed in Genealogy Quebec’s data. It highlights the periods when this first name appears most often and its evolution across generations.

115,406total mentions

Annual evolution of the first name JosephLine chart showing the frequency of the first name Joseph in baptisms by year.10,0007,5005,0002,50001625170117771853192920051625–1629 3 baptisms1635–1639 3 baptisms1645–1649 12 baptisms1650–1654 30 baptisms1655–1659 21 baptisms1660–1664 93 baptisms1665–1669 72 baptisms1670–1674 120 baptisms1675–1679 162 baptisms1680–1684 84 baptisms1685–1689 198 baptisms1690–1694 216 baptisms1695–1699 387 baptisms1700–1704 456 baptisms1705–1709 414 baptisms1710–1714 375 baptisms1715–1719 483 baptisms1720–1724 360 baptisms1725–1729 468 baptisms1730–1734 645 baptisms1735–1739 768 baptisms1740–1744 738 baptisms1745–1749 639 baptisms1750–1754 909 baptisms1755–1759 810 baptisms1760–1764 1,086 baptisms1765–1769 1,182 baptisms1770–1774 1,317 baptisms1775–1779 1,356 baptisms1780–1784 1,437 baptisms1785–1789 1,728 baptisms1790–1794 2,034 baptisms1795–1799 2,406 baptisms1800–1804 2,508 baptisms1805–1809 2,655 baptisms1810–1814 2,667 baptisms1815–1819 3,159 baptisms1820–1824 3,141 baptisms1825–1829 3,786 baptisms1830–1834 4,677 baptisms1835–1839 4,578 baptisms1840–1844 5,347 baptisms1845–1849 6,240 baptisms1850–1854 6,792 baptisms1855–1859 7,183 baptisms1860–1864 7,153 baptisms1865–1869 6,316 baptisms1870–1874 6,063 baptisms1875–1879 5,284 baptisms1880–1884 4,357 baptisms1885–1889 3,492 baptisms1890–1894 2,511 baptisms1895–1899 1,858 baptisms1900–1904 1,050 baptisms1905–1909 666 baptisms1910–1914 399 baptisms1915–1919 348 baptisms1920–1924 263 baptisms1925–1929 231 baptisms1930–1934 183 baptisms1935–1939 132 baptisms1940–1944 93 baptisms1945–1949 151 baptisms1950–1954 240 baptisms1955–1959 261 baptisms1960–1964 354 baptisms1965–1969 121 baptisms1970–1974 45 baptisms1975–1979 30 baptisms1980–1984 21 baptisms1985–1989 12 baptisms1990–1994 9 baptisms1995–1999 15 baptisms2005–2009 3 baptisms

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