Josefa

Josefa is the Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Joseph, which derives from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning he will add or God will increase. The name appears in the Old Testament as that of the patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob, whose story of enslavement and rise to power in Egypt made it widely influential throughout the Abrahamic world. Josefa gained widespread use in Catholic countries partly through devotion to Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Closely related forms include Josefina, Giuseppa, and Joséphine.