Josef is the German, Czech and Scandinavian spelling of Joseph, the Hebrew name that means "he will add" or "God shall increase". Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and composer Josef Haydn are among its famous bearers. In the United States Josef was a top 1000 name through most of the 20th century and stood at number 814 in 2000; it has since drifted to number 2860 in 2025.