About the Josephson Surname

Genealogists group Josephson with Joseph. The family name meaning is “Descendant or son of Joseph (He shall add)”, the same as for Joseph.

Josephson coat of arms

There is no single Josephson family crest for every bearer. Herald Lab researches the arms historically associated with the name and explains whose they were.

Spelling and variants

The extra ending in Josephson is patronymic: it identified a person as belonging to Joseph's family. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. The same family of names includes Josephs and Josef.

3,590 Americans were listed as Josephson in the 2010 census. That puts it inside the top 10,000 US surnames. Want more than a summary? See the Josephson family name pack.