(male) English form of the biblical Hebrew name Yosef, meaning ‘(God) shall add (another son)’. This was borne by the favourite son of Jacob, whose brothers became jealous of him and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37). He was taken to Egypt, where he rose to become chief steward to Pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled to his brothers when they came to buy corn during a seven-year famine (Genesis 43–7). In the New Testament Joseph is the name of the husband of the Virgin Mary. It is also borne by a rich Jew, Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50; John 19:38), who took Jesus down from the Cross, wrapped him in a shroud, and buried him in a rock tomb. According to medieval legend, Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail to Britain. The name was uncommon in Britain in the Middle Ages but was revived in the mid 16th century and had become popular by the 1630s, remaining so ever since.
Variant: Josef.
Short forms: Joe, Jo.
Cognates: Irish: Seosamh. Scottish Gaelic: Iòseph. German: Josef. Dutch: Jozef. Scandinavian: Josef. French: Joseph. Spanish: José. Catalan: Josep. Portuguese: José. Italian: Giuseppe. Russian, Bulgarian: Iosif. Polish: Józef. Czech: Josef. Croatian, Slovenian: Josip. Finnish: Jooseppi. Hungarian: József, Osip. Latvian: Jāzeps. Lithuanian: Juozapas.
Dutch: variant spelling of Kroll.
Polish (Król) and Jewish (from Polish): from Polish król ‘king’, a Polish nickname for someone with a superior manner or for a leader in a community, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in a royal household. As a Jewish name it is an ornamental adoption. Compare Kral.
Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname or ornamental name from Polish król ‘rabbit’, Ukrainian krol. See also Krolik.
FOREBEARS The Dutch colonial official Bastiaen Jansen Krol (1595–1674) was born at Harlingen in Friesland. He emigrated to New Netherland in 1626 with authority to perform the ceremonies of baptism and marriage. At various times from 1626 to 1643 he was commissary and director at Fort Orange (Albany), NY.
