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Original poster

Joseph - religious or not?

63 replies

Hobbes39 · 04/05/2019 17:17

I like the name Joseph for a wee boy, but my DH and I are not religious and DH thinks it's a nice name but too religious... do you immediately think of Joseph and Mary? Or technicolour dream coat?! Thanks x

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NewSchoolNewName · 04/05/2019 17:39

It’s true that it’s a bible name, but it’s also a name that’s been so widely used in England for centuries that I wouldn’t assume that the parents of a Joseph were religious at all.

MountainEagle · 04/05/2019 17:39

Agree it’s not religious, any more than Rebecca, Joel, John, Aaron, Chloe, etc.

Pipandmum · 04/05/2019 17:39

It would never occur to me that a child named Joseph was any particular religion. My husband’s an atheist and we called our son Jonah. No one has ever asked about his religion though he did get a bit of ribbing when they did Jonah and the Whale story in RE.

JumpingFrogs · 04/05/2019 17:34

Lovely classic name, and like many classic names it has biblical origins. I would never assume you were religious though, any more than if you used Thomas, James, John, Paul, Peter, David, Jacob, Aaron, Matthew, Luke, Mark, Joshua, Daniel, Samuel etc etc etc

TeenTimesTwo · 04/05/2019 17:30

To me it is Biblical, but not specifically religious.
By which I mean a nice old traditional name, old enough to have been used 2000 years ago. But not particularly full of religious connotations.
See also Mary, Rachael, Rebecca, Samuel, David, Daniel.

IdaBWells · 04/05/2019 17:29

Being religious is also normal. Joseph has always been popular with Catholics, but I really don't think people make that association any more than Benjamin would have to be Jewish.

Hotpinkangel19 · 04/05/2019 17:27

No not at all - it's just a normal name!

Original poster
Hobbes39 · 04/05/2019 17:27

@RomanyQueen1 - oh wow! I take it your family were def religious!
I guess I know that Christian families will likely use names like Joseph, but what I wasn't sure is if people who aren't religious would automatically think we were if we called our wee boy that, or would religious people feel we were not 'allowed'...? (Hope that doesn't offend anyone)

OP posts:
Heratnumber7 · 04/05/2019 17:27

Well it is religious, in both the Mary and the dream cost sense, but so are lots of other names. It doesn't stop non religious people using them.
(Eg James, Adam, John, Abigail, Rachel....)

hewontstopshitting · 04/05/2019 17:27

No, I think it’s a name in its own right now

GoldenEvilHoor · 04/05/2019 17:27

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nancy75 · 04/05/2019 17:23

I wouldn’t expect Joseph to be from a religious family, it’s a very normal name

RomanyQueen1 · 04/05/2019 17:21

Yes, I think of religion. In my family the eldest boy was always called Joseph and the girl Mary Grin then lots of other biblical names like Samson, delilah, moses, etc.

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