Yusuf / Joseph, the original

First recorded Yousef. Still undefeated.

Every Yousef, Youssef, Yusuf, Joseph, José and Giuseppe traces the name back to one figure: Joseph, son of Jacob, called Yosef in Hebrew and Yūsuf in Arabic. He is a patriarch in Judaism, a righteous figure in Christianity, and a prophet in Islam.

His story appears in Genesis, chapters 37 to 50, and in the Quran's twelfth chapter, Surah Yusuf. The outline is shared: a favoured son and a dreamer, resented by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. Through trial, imprisonment and patience, he rises to become the trusted minister of the king. He interprets dreams that foretell seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and organizes the stores that save Egypt and its neighbours. When his brothers arrive asking for grain, he tests them, reveals himself, and forgives them.

Few stories have shaped as many lives. The themes of patience, integrity under temptation, foresight and forgiveness have made it a favourite in sermons, poetry and art for thousands of years, from the Persian romance of Yusuf and Zulaikha to Thomas Mann's four-novel retelling Joseph and His Brothers.

This is the one entry in our Hall of Fame we keep pun-free. Everyone else on the list owes him their name.