(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.
1. Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAodha ‘descendant of Aodh’, a personal name meaning ‘fire’ (compare McCoy). In some cases, especially in County Wexford, the surname is of English origin (see below), having been taken to Ireland by the Normans.
2. English: habitational name from any of various places, for example in Devon and Worcestershire, so called from the plural of Middle English hay ‘enclosure’ (see Hay 1), or a topographic name from the same word.
3. English: habitational name from any of various places, for example in Dorset, Greater London (formerly in Kent and Middlesex), and Worcestershire, so called from Old English hǣse ‘brushwood’, or a topographic name from the same word.
4. English: patronymic from Hay 3.
5. French: variant (plural) of Haye 3.
6. Jewish (Ashkenazic): metronymic from Yiddish name Khaye ‘life’ + the Yiddish possessive suffix -s.
FOREBEARS U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893), born in Delaware, OH, was descended from old New England families on both sides. Through the paternal line he was descended from George Hayes, who emigrated from Scotland in 1680 and settled in Windsor, CT.
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![[Image: Color-coded map of the United States showing name distribution by state.]](/map/Joseph.Hayes.US.gif)
