First names in Hebrew

First name Joseph: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

יוסף

Gematria value: 156

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Joseph is written יוסף

Joseph is the English form of Yosef, יוסף in Hebrew.

Meaning and origin

What does Joseph mean?

Meaning: "He will add"
Origin: Hebrew

Joseph is one of the great names of the Bible, Yosef in Hebrew. Rachel gives it after years of waiting: "May God add another son for me" (Genesis 30:24). Yosef means "He will add": a name that is not content with what is, but hopes for more.

Gematria

Joseph = 156

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. יוסף has 4 letters:

• יthe letter Yod10
• וthe letter Vav6
• סthe letter Samekh60
• ףthe letter final Pe80
• Total156

The verse of the name

From the letter Yod to the letter final Pe

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Joseph, from י to ף:

יֵעָזְבוּ יַחְדָּו לְעֵיט הָרִים וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ וְקָץ עָלָיו הָעַיִט וְכׇל־בֶּהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ עָלָיו תֶּחֱרָף׃

“They will be left together for the birds of prey of the mountains and for the beasts of the earth; the birds will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.”

Isaiah 18:6

The book of your first name

Joseph, in nine pages

• Joseph, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Joseph
• Joseph, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Joseph in three answers

How do you write Joseph in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Joseph is written יוסף. Joseph is the English form of Yosef, יוסף in Hebrew.

What is the gematria value of Joseph?
Written יוסף, Joseph is worth 156: the letter Yod (10) + the letter Vav (6) + the letter Samekh (60) + the letter final Pe (80).

What does Joseph mean?
He will add (origin: Hebrew). Joseph is one of the great names of the Bible, Yosef in Hebrew. Rachel gives it after years of waiting: "May God add another son for me" (Genesis 30:24). Yosef means "He will add": a name that is not content with what is, but hopes for more.