boy's name
Yusuf
YOO-suf
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 32,524
the United States
#449
2025 births
Yusuf is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will increase." It is the Arabic form of Joseph, from the Hebrew Yosef, and has its own chapter in the Quran.
- Yusuf is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2025, when 798 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 660 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
Yusuf over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 428 |
| 2000s | 2,605 |
| 2010s | 5,507 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,059 |
What Yusuf means
Yusuf means God will add, or God will increase — a request for more children rather than a description of the child. The Hebrew source explains it at the moment of naming.
Where Yusuf comes from
Yusuf is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Yosef, from the root y-s-f, to add or increase. Genesis gives the naming twice over: Rachel names him for the taking away of her reproach and asks the Lord to add another son. The story of Yusuf appears in the Quran as its twelfth chapter, described there as the most beautiful of stories, and it is the only Quranic chapter given over to a single continuous narrative. That prominence carried the name across the Muslim world in the forms Yusuf, Yousef, Youssef and Yusif.
Yusuf in use
Our data shows Yusuf peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 64 in England and Wales against 449 in the United States. It first appears in our United States records in 1949. Joseph, the same name by a different route, is one of the most-used boys' names in the English-speaking world.
How popular is Yusuf?
In 2025, Yusuf was given to 798 babies in England and Wales, ranking #64 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Yusuf is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Yusuf is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Yûsuf | Yûsuf is Yusuf written with a circumflex, used in France, where it ranks #1,502. | 130 |
| Yusûf | Yusûf is a rare spelling of Yusuf, written with a circumflex and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Yusuf
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Yusuf also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Yusuf over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Yusuf
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Yusuf in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Yusuf
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Yusuf — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Yusuf
What does the name Yusuf mean?
Yusuf means "God will increase," from the Hebrew root y-s-f, to add.
Is Yusuf the same name as Joseph?
Yes. Yusuf is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Yosef, which English renders as Joseph.
Is Yusuf in the Quran?
Yes — the twelfth chapter is named for him and tells his story in full, the only chapter given to one continuous narrative.
How popular is the name Yusuf?
In 2025, Yusuf was given to 798 babies in England and Wales, ranking #64 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Yusuf a girl's or a boy's name?
Yusuf is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Yusuf most popular?
Yusuf peaked in 2025, when 798 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Yusuf?
Yusuf is usually shortened to Sufi.
Is Yusuf a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Yusuf currently ranks #64 in England and Wales. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.