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

Yosef, 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 Yosef surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yosef in America

Yosef is the 55255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yosef surname appeared 372 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yosef.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yosef 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 Yosef

The surname Yosef has its origins in the Hebrew language, specifically linked to the ancient Hebrew name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "God will increase." This name appears prominently within the context of Jewish history, deriving from the Bible, particularly from the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose narratives appear in the Book of Genesis. The name Yosef was revered and widely used among Jewish communities, leading to its emergence as a surname.

The use of surnames among Jewish populations became more common in different regions and periods, with Yosef beginning to appear as a family name in medieval Europe. Specifically, the Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe adopted surnames for administrative and legal purposes around the 18th century. Yosef in its plural form Yosefovich also implies "son of Yosef," indicating a patronymic tradition.

One of the earliest records of the surname Yosef dates back to the Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula before the expulsions of the late 15th century. Historical records indicate Rabbi Yosef ben Solomon of Carcassonne, a noted Talmudic scholar in the 13th century France, may have had descendants carrying the surname Yosef. Similarly, Hebrew manuscripts from medieval Spain allude to prominent figures with the surname Yosef, although less frequently recorded.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, individuals bearing the surname Yosef began to appear in various Jewish community records throughout Poland and Lithuania. One notable figure is Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575), famed author of the Shulchan Aruch, although his surname was not traditionally Yosef, his lineage can be traced to families adopting the name in later generations.

In the Ottoman Empire, Jewish communities flourished, and the surname Yosef was identified in records of the Sephardic diaspora. Rabbi Yosef Hayyim ben Elijah al-Hakam of Baghdad (1835-1909), known as the Ben Ish Chai, became influential and widely respected, with descendants who adopted his given name as a family surname.

By the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish emigrants to the Americas, escaping persecution in Europe, included individuals with the surname Yosef. Notable among them was Chaim Yosef, an early Zionist activist whose family settled in what is now Israel in the late 1800s, contributing to the establishment of agricultural settlements.

In tracing the surname Yosef throughout history, one finds a rich tapestry interwoven with Jewish religious, cultural, and migratory narratives. The journey from ancient biblical appellations to modern surnames encapsulates the dynamic and resilient spirit of the Jewish people through centuries of diaspora and resettlement. 반

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yosef

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

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 Yosef 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 Yosef 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 Yosef was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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