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Josiah

Hebrew
"God supports, heals"
Madison Dresler
By Madison Dresler
Updated Tue Jul 01 2025

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.

# 53 in the US

Josiah Rank in US Top 1000

# 218 on Nameberry

Josiah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Josiah

20 Names Similar to Josiah

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Josiah.

Famous People Named Josiah

  • Josiah Henson
    American minister, author and abolitionist
  • Josiah
    King of Judah
  • Josiah Bartlett
    American politician; 4th Governor of New Hampshire
  • Josiah Royce
    American pragmatist philosopher
  • Josiah Henry
    American actor
  • Josiah Wedgwood
    English china potter
  • Josiah Kirby "J.K." Lilly
    American pharmaceutical industrialist; son of Eli Lilly
  • Josiah 'Jossi' Wells
    New Zealand freestyle skier
  • Josiah Willard Gibbs
    American physicist
  • Josiah Ng
    Malaysian 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

The name Josiah in Pop Culture

  • Josiah Bartlett
    U.S. President on TV's 'The West Wing'
  • Josiah Bounderby
    character in Charles Dickens' "Hard Times"
  • Josiah Borden
    character in Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra"
  • Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlock
    character in film "Young Guns"
  • Josiah Power
    character in DC Comics
  • Josiah X
    character in Marvel Comics
  • Josiah Elkins
    character in film "Ghost Brigade"
  • Josiah Millbank
    character in "A good woman" by Danielle Steel
  • Nicknames could be Si
    Jos or Joe

The name Josiah in Nameberry Blog Posts