Joshua
Joshua was the 66th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,773 babies. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1989 (44,100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 33 places. More babies were named Joshua in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is salvation · Hebrew
Say it JAH-shoo-uh /ˈdʒɑʃuə/
- Rank in 2025
- #66 boys, down 13 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,773boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198944,100 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,253,882babies recorded
What does the name Joshua mean?
Joshua is the English form of Hebrew Yehoshua, the name of Moses' assistant and successor, who leads the Israelites into Canaan. Numbers 13:16 says Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Yehoshua, adding the divine name to a root meaning 'save'. The result is usually read as 'Yahweh is salvation'. A later form, Yeshua, became Iesous in Greek and Jesus in English, so the two names are close relatives. DMNES records Josua in English baptism records from 1551, and it spread with Puritan naming.
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Biblical Hebrew, “Yehoshua”)ישע (Hebrew, “save”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Josh, Josué, Yehoshua, Jesus.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Joshua', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Numbers 13:16, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joshua', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Joshua
The usual nicknames for Joshua are Josh. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Joshua in the last five years, 2 were named Josh, against 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh | Traditional | #1,703 | 474 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Joshuas go by each one.
Joshua popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 4,953 since 1968.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #66 | 4,773 |
| 2020 | #53 | 6,015 |
| 2010 | #11 | 15,467 |
| 2000 | #4 | 27,543 |
| 1990 | #4 | 43,237 |
| 1980 | #7 | 36,052 |
| 1970 | #150 | 2,175 |
| 1960 | #455 | 314 |
| 1950 | #537 | 160 |
| 1940 | #628 | 90 |
| 1930 | #647 | 90 |
| 1920 | #544 | 128 |
| 1910 | #401 | 44 |
| 1900 | #371 | 36 |
| 1890 | #365 | 24 |
| 1880 | #212 | 57 |
How popular is Joshua, counting every spelling?
Joshua is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #73 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #66 for Joshua on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,783 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua | 4,773 | #66 | 25,839 |
| Joshuah | 10 | #7,930 | 49 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Joshua?
4,773 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Joshua (1.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Joshua born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 40. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Joshua.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Joshua?
About 1,189,000 people born in the US named Joshua are alive today, with a median age of 34; half are between 24 and 42. That makes Joshua mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Joshua by state
How common Joshua was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (2.2×), Alaska (1.8×), District of Columbia (1.8×), Maryland (1.8×), Hawaii (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, Vermont, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Joshua: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Joshua, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Joshua · Sibling names for Joshua
Questions about the name Joshua
What does Joshua mean?
Joshua means “God is salvation” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Joshua?
Joshua was the 66th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,773 babies. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked 3rd; the most babies were born in 1989 (44,100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 33 places. More babies were named Joshua in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Joshua a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Joshua in the US.
Where is Joshua most popular?
In 2021–2025, Joshua was most common in Delaware (6.53 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and District of Columbia.