Surname Josephs - Meaning and Origin

Josephs: What does the surname Josephs mean?

The last name Josephs originates from the given name Joseph, which traces back to the Hebrew name Yoseph, meaning “he will add,” referring to the fact that God will add children to the family. The name Joseph is shared by many prominent people throughout history, including the biblical Joseph, the husband of Marie and the father of Jesus Christ. The surname Josephs is believed to be derived from the same given name and has a range of different possible origins.

In France, the surname Josephs likely traces back to the Latin form Jozef, the Old French Jouffroi, and the Breton Juzev. It could also have originated as an alias for a foreign name, such as the German or English Josef or Joseph.

In England, the surname could have derived from a patronymic name, which is a type of surname derived from a father's given name. It is likely that the surname also had a Norman form of Jawe or Giwe. The surname could also have originated from a place-name, such as Joseph's Cross or Josephs Town.

No matter its origin, the surname Josephs has become an integral part of many family histories. It is often associated with a strong sense of family, loyalty, and tradition.

Josephs: Where does the name Josephs come from?

The last name Josephs is common in many parts of the world today including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Sweden and Germany. In the United States, the Josephs surname is most popular in states like New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California. In Canada, it is most prevalent in British Columbia and Ontario. In the United Kingdom, Josephs is most commonly found in English regions like London, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. It is also popular in Wales and Scotland. In Ireland, the Josephs surname can be found throughout the country, though it is especially common in the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. In France, Josephs is mostly found in the regions of Aquitaine and Île-de-France. Sweden and Germany also have a strong presence of the Josephs surname, with numerous instances found in both countries.

Variations of the surname Josephs

The surname Josephs is an anglicized version of the original Hebrew patronymic ‘Yosef’ meaning ‘God will multiply’ or ‘God has increased’. An Israeli version of this surname is ‘Yosef’, while ‘Yosefov’, ‘Yosefi’ and ‘Yosevitz’ are Yiddish spelling variations of the surname. In the U.S., some families with the surname Josephs have adopted the phonetic spelling ‘Josephs’, while others have kept the original spelling ‘Yosef’.

Common variants of the surname Josephs include: Jos, Jocef, Josef, Jozef, Josefo, Josefov, Josephsovsky, Josefsky, Yosefov, Yosefi, Josephowitz, Yusefov, Yusef, Yusefovich, Yusefel, Yossef, Yoeefs, Yoeefson, and Yefim. The surname Josephs has many other surnames of the same origin, such as: Yoshevitz, Yohevitz, Yokevitz, Yossel, Yessler, Yessner, Yosal, Yosselson and Yeshko.

In addition, the Josephs surname is also found in the French-Canadian, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking world in various forms, such as Josefi, Josefo, Josefino, Josefina, Josèfe, Joséfica, Josefillo, Josefér, Joséfène, Joséfine, Josipovic and Josif.

In the United States, the family name 'Josephs' is also sometimes rendered as 'Joseph,' 'Josephson,' 'Josephsen,' 'Josefs,' 'Josephsens' and 'Josephson'. Moreover, the surname Josephs has also been found in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the form of 'Yefimov', 'Yefemov', 'Yefimovitsh', 'Yefemovich', 'Yefimovitz' and 'Yefemyov'.

Famous people with the name Josephs

• John Josephs: CEO of the East India Company.
• Jennifer Josephs: American television actress.
• Tony Josephs: NBA player.
• Mary T. Josephs: American artist.
• David Josephs: Entrepreneur and founder of Josephs Industries.
• Paul Josephs: English footballer.
• Roy Josephs: Academy Award-winning composer.
• Michael Josephs: British physicist.
• Jack Josephs: American songwriter.
• Joe Josephs: Radio disc jockey.
• Robert Josephs: Author and professor.
• Mark Josephs: British rock musician.
• Liz Josephs: British politician.
• Hugo Josephs: Film director.
• Ben Josephs: Australian historian.
• Alvin Josephs: Olympian athlete.
• Jackson Josephs: Indian-American artist.
• Christopher Josephs: Grammy-winning American composer.
• Ernest Josephs: Writer and translator.
• Joshua Josephs: Australian film producer.

Other surnames

Joseph