Josiah

Hebrew
"God supports, heals"

Josiah Origin and Meaning

The name Josiah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God supports, heals".

Josiah—a biblical name with lots of quaint, old-fashioned charm—makes a much fresher sounding alternative to either Joseph or Joshua, combining the best of both. Josiah is among the several Biblical boys' names that have been on the rise this decade.

Josiah is derived from Yoshiyahu, a Hebrew name from the components yoshi, meaning "support," and Yahu, referring to the Hebrew god.

In the Old Testament, Josiah was an upright king of Judah from the age of eight, after his father Amon was murdered. Josias is a related Latin variation that is found in some biblical translations.

Two Josiahs, Wedgwood and Spode, founded the fine English potteries that bear their names. Josiah Bartlett was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the President on The West Wing shared his name, being a fictional descendant.

Charles Dickens used the name for a character in his novel Hard Times and Josiah Borden is a character in Eugene O'Neill's tragedy Mourning Becomes Electra.

# 51 in the US

Josiah Rank in US Top 1000

# 210 on Nameberry

Josiah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Josiah Popularity

Famous People Named Josiah

  • Josiah HensonAmerican minister, author and abolitionist
  • JosiahKing of Judah
  • Josiah BartlettAmerican politician; 4th Governor of New Hampshire
  • Josiah RoyceAmerican pragmatist philosopher
  • Josiah HenryAmerican actor
  • Josiah WedgwoodEnglish china potter
  • Josiah Kirby "J.K." LillyAmerican pharmaceutical industrialist; son of Eli Lilly
  • Josiah 'Jossi' WellsNew Zealand freestyle skier
  • Josiah Willard GibbsAmerican physicist
  • Josiah NgMalaysian cyclist
  • Josiah Matthew Duggar (b. 1996)8th child of reality TV's Duggar Family
  • Josiah Yoba (b. 2003)son of American actor Malik Yoba
  • Josiah Angel Solomon (b. 2009)octuplet of Nadya Suleman
  • Josiah Jensen (b. 2013)son of NFL player Marcel Jensen
  • Josiah David Croft (b. 2015)son of Christian singer Beth Croft
  • Slater Josiah Vance (b. 2006)son of actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance; twin of sister Bronwyn Golden

Josiah in Pop Culture

  • Josiah BartlettU.S. President on TV's 'The West Wing'
  • Josiah Bounderbycharacter in Charles Dickens' "Hard Times"
  • Josiah Bordencharacter in Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra"
  • Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlockcharacter in film "Young Guns"
  • Josiah Powercharacter in DC Comics
  • Josiah Xcharacter in Marvel Comics
  • Josiah Elkinscharacter in film "Ghost Brigade"
  • Josiah Millbankcharacter in "A good woman" by Danielle Steel
  • Nicknames could be SiJos or Joe