Josef

Josef is an established form of Joseph in German, Czech, and several Nordic naming traditions. The name ultimately comes from Hebrew Yosef, commonly understood as may he add, with God understood as the subject. In Genesis, its meaning is connected with Rachel's hope for another son after the birth of Joseph.

The final f represents the sound written ph in the familiar English Joseph. This is a conventional spelling in the languages that use it, rather than a modern simplification invented for English. The wider name family includes both the Joseph of Genesis and Joseph, the husband of Mary, in Christian tradition. Josef can therefore preserve a family language while remaining recognizably connected with that shared religious history.