UK boy's name
Josef
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "He will add".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Josef is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Josef popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2443, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 96 births.
This profile covers 1,379 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 9% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,433 living people in the UK are called Josef. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Josef ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 96 boys were registered as Josef.
- • Josef ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #281 in 2002.
- • About 1,433 living people in the UK are estimated to have Josef as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2443
2024
Births in 2024
9
Latest year
Peak year
1999
96 births
Estimated living
1,433
2026
Meaning
What does Josef mean?
The name Josef has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "he will increase". It is a variant of the name Joseph, with the "ph" sound replaced by an "f".
The name Yosef first appeared in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where it was the name given to the son of Jacob and Rachel. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and played a significant role in the biblical narrative, eventually becoming a powerful figure in Egypt.
In the New Testament, Josef was the name given to the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This biblical figure, known as Saint Joseph, is an important figure in Christianity and is often depicted as a carpenter and a protector of the Holy Family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josef dates back to the 4th century, when a Saint Josef of Arimathea was mentioned in Christian texts. In the Middle Ages, the name became more widespread across Europe, particularly in Germanic and Slavic regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures with the name Josef. One of the most famous was Josef Stalin (1878-1953), the Soviet dictator who led the Soviet Union during World War II and the Cold War era. Another well-known Josef was Josef Haydn (1732-1809), the Austrian composer who played a key role in the development of the classical music style.
Other notable figures with the name include Josef Lanner (1801-1843), an Austrian composer and violinist known as the "Father of the Viennese Waltz"; Josef Mengele (1911-1979), the infamous Nazi doctor who conducted unethical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz; and Josef Brodsky (1940-1996), a Russian-American poet and essayist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987.
The name Josef has maintained its popularity across various cultures and regions, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. It has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, musicians, writers, political figures, and religious leaders, reflecting the rich history and cultural significance of this name.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Josef over time
The chart below shows babies named Josef registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Josef, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 96 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josef by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Josef was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1983 | 60 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1075 | 281 | 10 |
| 2000s | #443 | 682 | 10 |
| 1990s | #297 | 356 | 4 |
Geography
Where Josef is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Josef. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Josef ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #281 in 2002.
Across the UK
Josef in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#474 in 2008
15 years of NRS records, 64 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#281 in 2002
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Josef
-
Josef Bursik
association football player
English association football player
2000-
-
Josef Yarney
association football player
English association football player (born 1997)
1997-
-
Josef Craig
para swimmer
Paralympic swimmer
1997-
-
Josef Kaplický
1995-
-
Josef O'Connor
contemporary artist
British artist
1990-
-
Josef Altin
actor; television actor
British actor
1983-
-
Josef Prygodzicz
basketball player
Welsh basketball player (born 1981)
1981-
-
Josef Locke
singer
Irish singer
1971-1999
Related
Names similar to Josef
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
FAQ
Josef: questions and answers
How popular is the name Josef in the UK right now?
In 2024, Josef was ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.
When was Josef most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 96 babies registered as Josef in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Josef?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "He will add".
How many people are called Josef in the UK?
A total of 1,379 babies have been registered as Josef across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 64 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Josef most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Josef ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #281 in 2002. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.