Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Joshua

Say it JOSH-oo-uh 3 syllables

Hebrew · “Yahweh is salvation”

Common across the UK, Ontario, Ireland, and 6 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

1 in 290 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 53 there.

Joshua in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 11, rare in 16.
Joshua in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales53 (down)20259381 in 290232020
Scotland75 (down)2025661 in 298292020
Northern Ireland55 (down)2025391 in 212342020
Ireland81 (down)2025741 in 321562020
North America
Ontario (province)72 (down)2024164about 1 in 365432019
Quebec (province)137 (down)202547about 1 in 6181002020
British Columbia (province)101 (down)202334about 1 in 383492018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025472020
Victoria (state)78 (down)202595412020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025522020
South Australia (state)60 (up)202529612020
New Zealand48 (down)202572362020
Western Europe
France233 (down)20252351 in 1,2881822020
Netherlands135 (down)2025122about 1 in 545962020
Central Europe
Austria344 (down)2025161 in 2,3792342020
Switzerland134 (down)2025541 in 667962020
Berlin (city)50 (down)202356about 1 in 277432018
Munich (city)103 (down)202512about 1 in 364712020
Cologne (city)106 (down)202312about 1 in 532582018
Bonn (city)37 (up)202514about 1 in 226632020
Leipzig (city)65 (down)20258about 1 in 360642020
Rostock (city)172 (up)20251about 1 in 1,0472122020
Nordic countries
Norway393 (up)202571 in 3,3264162020
Sweden302 (up)202526about 1 in 1,6593762020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)480 (up)202561 in 3,4515092020
Italy278 (down)2024481 in 3,9451932019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland419 (up)202561 in 21,0674922020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

In the Bible, Joshua is the leader who succeeded Moses. It comes from the Hebrew Yehoshúa', meaning 'Yahweh is salvation', and it is a direct equivalent of Jesus through Greek and Aramaic.

2 more paragraphs

It has three syllables, JOSH-oo-uh, and a warm, flowing rhythm. Josh is the natural short form, and related names include Yehoshua, Yeshua, Josue, Josué and Giosuè.

Joshua appears in the lists for New Zealand, England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and further down in Switzerland, the Netherlands and France. Canadian records put its peak around 2000, and it is now falling in most of the places that record it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
JOSH-oo-uh · 3 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 3.
Meaning
“Yahweh is salvation”
Origin
Hebrew
Related names
Jesus, Jason, Yehoshua, Josh, Jeshua, Josue, Josué, Yeshua, Giosuè, Josua, Jozue, Josuah, Joosua, Yosua, Yoşua, Josuè
Where Joshua comes from (Wiktionary)

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'.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Joshua. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Joshua over time

Rising in 4 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2000.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Joshua in England and Wales: #5 in 1996, a peak of #2 in 2002, and #53 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #5, 7,887 boys1997: #5, 7,698 boys1998: #5, 7,672 boys1999: #4, 7,275 boys2000: #4, 7,097 boys2001: #3, 7,182 boys2002: #2, 8,170 boys2003: #2, 8,190 boys2004: #2, 7,826 boys2005: #2, 7,167 boys2006: #3, 6,519 boys2007: #4, 6,038 boys2008: #5, 5,716 boys2009: #5, 5,526 boys2010: #8, 5,217 boys2011: #9, 4,786 boys2012: #11, 4,444 boys2013: #12, 3,973 boys2014: #13, 3,812 boys2015: #16, 3,394 boys2016: #16, 3,495 boys2017: #15, 3,166 boys2018: #17, 2,922 boys2019: #20, 2,450 boys2020: #23, 1,989 boys2021: #31, 1,737 boys2022: #35, 1,478 boys2023: #40, 1,339 boys2024: #50, 1,027 boys2025: #53, 938 boys#5 in 1996peak #2, 2002#53in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199657,887
199757,698
199857,672
199947,275
200047,097
200137,182
200228,170
200328,190
200427,826
200527,167
200636,519
200746,038
200855,716
200955,526
201085,217
201194,786
2012114,444
2013123,973
2014133,812
2015163,394
2016163,495
2017153,166
2018172,922
2019202,450
2020231,989
2021311,737
2022351,478
2023401,339
2024501,027
202553938

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Joshua in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1996. Peak: 2000, about 2,210 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 6.4 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 14.4 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 179 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 562 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1,148.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 1,675.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 1,883.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 1,916.1 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 1,963.3 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 1,363.5 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 845.3 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 517.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 315 per 100,000 boys20202000-2004: about 1 in 51 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19591.3
1960–19646.4
1965–196914.4
1970–1974179
1975–1979562
1980–19841,148.2
1985–19891,675.8
1990–19941,883.4
1995–19991,916.1
2000–20041,963.3
2005–20091,363.5
2010–2014845.3
2015–2019517.8
2020–2024315

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Joshua

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Joshua, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 354, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 387, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 818, Scotland

  5. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 162, Northern Ireland

  7. 1 in 277, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 255, Scotland

  9. 1 in 164, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 289, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Joshua

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Joshua's 3 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 105, Ireland

  5. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 88, England and Wales

Full-name check

Joshua Jack

Syllables 3-1Initials J.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Joshua

Sisters for Joshua: Leah, Molly, Hannah, and 5 more
  1. LeahRose and fell with Joshua · Same generation as Joshua
  2. MollyRose and fell with Joshua · As common as Joshua
  3. HannahRose and fell with Joshua · Hebrew, like Joshua
  4. JessicaRose and fell with Joshua · Hebrew, like Joshua · Same initial as Joshua
  5. AbigailRose and fell with Joshua · As common as Joshua
  6. ZaraRose and fell with Joshua · As common as Joshua
  7. ElizaRose and fell with Joshua · Hebrew, like Joshua
  8. EdenRose and fell with Joshua · Hebrew, like Joshua

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Joshua

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Joshua's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  3. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 15 more places.

  4. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  5. Common across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  6. Rare in Poland, Israel, Sweden, and 11 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

Famous people named Joshua

Joshua Bassett, Joshua Kimmich, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Joshua

How popular is Joshua in New Zealand?

Joshua ranked #48 in New Zealand in 2025, given to 72 boys.

Is Joshua rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 4 of the 24 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Rising in: Bonn, Rostock, Sweden, and Catalonia.

What does Joshua mean?

Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Joshua have?

Joshua has 3 syllables: JOSH-oo-uh.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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