Joshua
Boy nameJoshua has been given to 1,253,882 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1989 and currently ranks #66 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈd͡ʒɒʃ(j)ʊə/
From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).
Origin: Hebrew
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
1,253,882
Peak year
1989 (44,308 babies)
Rank in 2025
#66 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -52%
Gender split
0% girls / 100% boys
Famous people named Joshua
Joshua Bassett
American actor and singer-songwriter
Joshua Reynolds
English painter (1723–1792)
Joshua Kimmich
German association football player (born 1995)
Josh Hutcherson
American actor
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Joshua.
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