Joseph

Joseph comes from the Hebrew name Yosef, derived from the root yasaf, meaning to add or to increase, expressing a mother's hope for another child. In the Hebrew Bible, Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and Rachel, the dreamer sold into slavery in Egypt who rose to become a powerful administrator, making him one of the most celebrated figures in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. The name was carried into Greek as Ioseph and into Latin as Iosephus, spreading widely across Europe through biblical influence. Closely related forms include Josef, Giuseppe, José, Yusuf, and Jozef.