Find out how popular the last name Josephs is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Josephs.

Josephs, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Josephs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Josephs in America

Josephs is the 13926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Josephs surname appeared 2,168 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Josephs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Josephs to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Josephs

The surname Josephs is derived from the Hebrew given name Joseph, which means "he will add" or "he will increase." It originated in ancient Israel and was later adopted by various cultures and languages across the world.

The name Josephs is believed to have first appeared in England in the late 12th century. It is thought to have been brought to England by Jewish immigrants from France and Germany, who were among the first to bear the surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josephs can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1221, which mention a man named Joseph of Bristol. Another early reference is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Robert Josephs.

During the Middle Ages, the name Josephs was sometimes spelled as Joseppes, Joseps, or Josephes, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation of the time. It was also associated with certain place names, such as Josephstow or Josephsham, which may have influenced the adoption of the surname in some cases.

Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Josephs, including:

1. Benjamin Josephs (1736-1786), an English clockmaker and inventor known for his contributions to the development of the chronometer.
2. Samuel Josephs (1733-1800), a Welsh Baptist minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
3. Wilbur Josephs (1892-1967), an American lawyer and judge who served on the New York Supreme Court.
4. Ida Josephs (1878-1959), a British suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform.
5. Stephen Josephs (1914-2005), an American film director and producer known for his work in the documentary genre.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Josephs throughout history, demonstrating its widespread adoption and enduring presence across various cultures and nations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Josephs

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Josephs.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Josephs was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Josephs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Josephs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Josephs, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!