Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Josephson” come from?

Josephson is an English patronymic surname derived from Joseph, which comes from Hebrew יוֹסֵף meaning "he will increase."

Ancestry of “Josephson”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSơn—
2Middle Englishsoneson; soon; Alternative form of sonne
3Old Englishsōnaimmediately, at once
4Proto-West Germanicsān(ō)immediately
5Proto-Germanicsēna—
6Proto-Germanic*sa—
7Proto-Austronesian*əsa—
8Proto-Oceanic*isa—
Every word from Proto-Oceanic *isa →