Joe
Joe is a masculine given name of English origin, commonly employed as a diminutive of Joseph, which derives from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף) meaning "he will add" or "God shall add," reflecting biblical connotations of increase or multiplication.[1][2][3]The name has achieved widespread use across English-speaking cultures, appearing among notable figures in athletics such as heavyweight boxer Joe Louis (1914–1981), his rival Joe Frazier (1944–2011), and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio (1914–1999), as well as in entertainment, politics, and other fields, underscoring its versatility and enduring popularity.[2][4]
Beyond personal nomenclature, "Joe" functions in slang as a descriptor for an ordinary or typical male, exemplified by the phrase "average Joe" or "GI Joe" for the everyman archetype, a semantic extension recorded since 1846 that emphasizes commonality over distinction.[5][6] In American vernacular, it also denotes coffee as "a cup of joe," a usage linked to early 20th-century military slang possibly referencing Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels' prohibition on alcohol, though alternative derivations persist.[7]