Giuseppe

Meaning of Giuseppe

Giuseppe—rendered in Italian as dʒi-oo-ZEH-peh and commonly approximated in English as jee-oo-SEP-ee—constitutes the standard Italian form of the Hebrew-derived Joseph (“he will add”), and, while never numerous in the United States, it has maintained a remarkably steady, low-level presence that mirrors patterns of Italian immigration: since reliable records began in 1905, annual birth counts have hovered between five and a little over one hundred, with national ranks drifting in the mid-500s to mid-800s. The name’s cultural resonance extends well beyond its statistical footprint, evoking the quiet solidity of its biblical prototype, Saint Joseph, and the civic ideals embodied by figures such as Risorgimento patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi, operatic titan Giuseppe Verdi, and logician Giuseppe Peano. Together these associations confer an aura of disciplined creativity and steadfast responsibility, qualities that appeal to parents who seek a recognizably Italian yet internationally intelligible alternative to Joseph.