Jozef Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Jozef

Pronunciation: YOH-zef

Meaning He will add Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#5,493
TREND
179

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Jozef in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Jozef

  • More than 1 thousand babies named Jozef: U.S. records list 1,201 babies given the name Jozef from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Jozef Mean?

Jozef is a form of Joseph, a name that comes from the Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yosef), meaning 'he will add' or 'may he add.' The Hebrew root y-s-p means 'to add.' In the Genesis narrative, Rachel names her son Joseph with a wordplay: she says, 'May the LORD add to me another son' (Genesis 30:24). The common English explanation 'God will increase' is a customary expansion of that literal sense, not a word-for-word translation. Jozef is not a separate name with a different origin; it is a European form of Joseph, used especially in Slovak and Dutch. The spelling with z reflects the voiced s sound in those languages, and the initial J is pronounced like English Y.

Jozef Name History & Origins

The name reached European languages through Greek and Latin. The Hebrew Yosef appears in the Greek Bible as Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph) and in Latin as Ioseph. From these forms, vernacular versions developed across Christian Europe. Jozef is the Slovak form and one of the Dutch forms; Czech uses Josef, and Polish uses Józef. In Slovak and Czech calendars, March 19, the feast of Saint Joseph, is the name day for Jozef or Josef. The biblical Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, and Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary in the New Testament, are the main religious figures associated with the name. In Slovakia, Jozef is a standard male given name. In the Netherlands, Jozef is a traditional male given name.

How Popular is the Name Jozef?

Jozef has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2005. Its best rank was #2,117 in 1918.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Jozef Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.

Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.

✦ Jozef's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Jozef's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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