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

Yoseph, 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 Yoseph surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yoseph in America

Yoseph is the 77264th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yoseph surname appeared 248 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 Yoseph.

The history of the last name Yoseph

The surname Yoseph traces its origins back to the ancient Levantine regions, likely within the territories of modern-day Israel and the surrounding areas. The name is derived from the Hebrew name Yosef, which translates to "God will add" or "God will increase." The transformation from a given name to a surname typically occurred during the Middle Ages, a period when family names began to be adopted more widely in various cultures for administrative purposes.

Early references to the name Yoseph can be found in religious and historical manuscripts dating back to the medieval period. The adoption of surnames in Jewish communities often came from patronymic traditions, where names were derived from the father's given name. In this context, Yoseph would have initially been used to signify "son of Yosef."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yoseph can be traced to Jewish records in Eastern Europe during the 15th century. During this time, Jewish communities were established in regions such as Poland and Lithuania, and the surname Yoseph appeared frequently in tax records and community documents. A notable figure from this period is Rabbi Meir ben Yoseph, a prominent Lithuanian scholar born in 1420 and known for his contributions to Talmudic studies.

The surname Yoseph also appears in the archives of the Ottoman Empire, where Jewish individuals with the surname were recorded in legal and commercial documents. For example, Solomon Yoseph, a Jewish merchant from Thessaloniki, was active in trade throughout the empire in the late 16th century and documented in several trade agreements.

Moving forward, the surname Yoseph continued to be prevalent in Jewish communities, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. David Yoseph, who was born in Krakow in 1605 and later emigrated to Amsterdam, became a distinguished financier and a key figure in the Jewish community there. His financial acumen and leadership helped establish thriving Jewish institutions during the Dutch Golden Age.

In the 18th century, the name Yoseph appeared frequently in Jewish genealogical records from Hungary and Galicia. A notable individual from this period is Rabbi Mordechai Yoseph, born in 1762 in what is today Poland. He was a revered Hassidic leader known for his piety and scholarly works, contributing significantly to the spiritual life of his community.

Another historical figure from the 19th century is Esther Yoseph, born in 1825 in Baghdad, Iraq. She was a matriarch in a prominent Baghdadi Jewish family and played a crucial role in preserving the community's traditions and scripts during a time of significant upheaval and migration to India and other parts of the Middle East.

These historical instances show how the surname Yoseph, originating from ancient Hebrew roots and travelling through various regions, left a mark on the records and narratives of the communities it interacted with throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yoseph

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

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 Yoseph 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.

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

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

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