This page is historical. Follow this link for the current version.
Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Joseph m. Hebrew יוֹסֵף 'God will increase'.

The name of a Biblical patriarch, the Biblical father of Jesus, and a 1st C saint. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Joseph.

England
Latin
1189 Joseph (nom) GASurv p. 114; 1377 Josep' (nom) FenPT-2 p. 5
Early Modern English
1563 Jesippe bruton-vol1 p. 33; 1571 Joseph OrpingtonKe p. 3; 1583 Joseph StAnthonlin p. 29; 1586 Joseph OrpingtonKe p. 7, StAnthonlin p. 32; 1591 Joseph BUmar-vol2 p. 141; 1595 Joseph DEmar-vol2 p. 31; 1597 Joseph StAnthonlin p. 38; 1598 Joseph DEmar-vol2 p. 38
Estonia
Middle Low German
1592 Jessa Tiik1977 p. 286, Seppo ibid. p. 286
Finland
Early Modern Swedish
1582 Oseppi Audén1980 p. 172
France
Latin
1310 Josephi (gen) CartNDdOurscamp IX
Old French
1313 Joseph Paris1313 p. 37
Middle French
1565 Joseph RegPCC-1 p. 121; 1566 Joseph ibid. p. 207
Ireland
Latin
fin12thC Iosep (nom) MunDocIr III, p. 18
Italy
Latin
1265x1339 Yoseppi (gen) BBC-Berg 58; 1326 Josepho (abl) Friuli-14thC no. 422; 1376 Iosepe (abl) DouGen1 p. 147; 1527 Joseph (nom) Rome1527 p. 84
Latvia
Latin
1297 Yosep (dat) RigSB 267; 1299 Joseph (dat) ibid. 278
Spain
Spanish
1567 Joseph SanzSerrano
Sweden
Latin
1350 Joseph (dat) SDHK no. 6060
Cite as: R. Le Get, S.L. Uckelman. "Joseph". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2016/1/name/Joseph.