Joshua
Top 1000
About Joshua
Joshua, a Top 10 name from 1983 until 2010, has dropped out of the Top 50 but manages to present a relaxed, attractive image, with a bit of the Old West mixed in with its biblical persona.
Joshua was derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshu’a, from the roots yeho, referring to God, and yasha’, meaning "to save." Joshua shares origins with the name Jesus, which comes from the Aramaic variation Yeshu’a.
An important figure in the Old Testament, Joshua was the successor to Moses who finally led the Israelites into the Promised Land, inspiring the hymn "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho."
Joshua's soft-sounding middle and vowel ending make it one of the new gentle boys' names, joining Biblical brothers Noah and Asher. The current generation's baby name successors to Joshua include Josiah and Jasper.
Pronounced JAH-shoo-uh.
As of October 2026, Joshua ranked #66 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3 in 2005, Nameberry popularity #337.
Editor's take: The name Joshua is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord is my salvation".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #25 | 10,926 | 5,688 |
| 2015 | #33 | 9,847 | 5,137.4 |
| 2016 | #35 | 9,253 | 4,875.8 |
| 2017 | #38 | 8,344 | 4,507.9 |
| 2018 | #40 | 7,443 | 4,098.2 |
| 2019 | #48 | 6,625 | 3,692.4 |
| 2020 | #53 | 6,011 | 3,482.5 |
| 2021 | #58 | 5,524 | 3,157.5 |
| 2022 | #60 | 5,195 | 2,975.4 |
| 2023 | #60 | 5,064 | 2,960.4 |
| 2024 | #57 | 5,244 | 3,043.7 |
| 2025 | #66 | 4,773 | 2,794.4 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Joshua.
- Adam
- Matthew
- Zachary
- Michael
- Nathan
- Jacob
- Andrew
- Daniel
- Aaron
- Christian
- Christopher
- Anthony
- Jonathan
- David
- Eric
- Nicholas
- Mark
- Joseph
- Luke
- Jeremy
Joshua on lists
Famous Joshuas
- Joshua
a prophet of the Old Testament of the Bible
- Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
American Civil War general, governor of Maine, president of Bowdoin College
- Joshua Reynolds
English painter
- Joshua Eagle
Australian tennis player
- Joshua David Bell
American violinist
- Joshua Aaron "Josh" Charles
American actor
- Joshua Charles Malina
American actor
- Joshua Lockwood Logan III
American stage and film director
- Joshua Redman
American jazz saxophonist
- Joshua Jake Goodall
English tennis player
- Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway
American actor
- Joshua Michael "Josh" Homme III
American singer
- Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban
American singer
- Joshua David "Josh" Duhamel
American actor
- Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson
American actor
- Joshua Ryan "Josh" Zuckerman
American actor
- Joshua Baret "Josh" Henderson
American actor and singer
- Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett
American actor
- Joshua "Josh" Dallas
American actor
- Joshua "Josh" Devine
English drummer
- Joshua James "Josh" Duggar
1st child of reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting's Duggar family
- Joshua Michael "Josh" Peck
American actor
- Joshua "Josh" Cuthburt
English musician
- Joshua Keeler "Josh" Ramsay
Canadian singer
- Joshua Jackson
Canadian,American actor
- Joshua Radin
American singer,songwriter and actor
- Joshua Harris
American Christian relationship coach and author
- Joshua "Josh" Dun
American drummer for band Twenty One Pilots
- Joshua David "Josh" Evans
YouTube personality
- Joshua "Josh" Pieters
South African YouTuber
- Joshua Van Der Beek
son of American actor James Van Der Beek
- Joshua Williams
child of Brady and Paulie Williams of reality TV's "My Five Wives"
- Joshua Romney
son of American politician Mitt Romney
- Joshua Russaw (b. 1998)
son of singer Faith Evans and Todd Russaw
- Joshua Rafter (b. 2003)
son of tennis player Pat Rafter
- Joshua Allen Daniels (b. 2005)
son of pro wrestler Christopher Daniels
- Joshua Thompson (b. 2012)
son of TV presenter Wendy Kingston and David Thompson
- Joshua "Josh" Kelley
American singer,songwriter
- Joshua Bishop Kelley Jr. (b. 2016)
son of actress Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley
- Joshua Ovenshire aka Jovenshire
American YouTuber and member of Smosh Games
- Joshua Hong/Hong Jisoo
Korean,American singer and member of the boy band Seventeen
- Joshua Caleb 'Josh' Dibb (aka Deakin)
musician and founding member of the band Animal Collective
- Joshua "Josh" Radnor
American actor
- Joshua Vallow
Son and victim of Lori Vallow Daybell
Joshua in pop culture
- Joshua
sixth book in the Bible
- Joshua Shepard
former king of Cedulan in "The Silver Eye," a webcomic by Laura Hollingsworth
- Joshua Alfero
Apen Shepard's alias in "The Silver Eye", a webcomic by Laura Hollingsworth
- Joshua "Josh" Rosza
character on TV's "The Originals"
- Joshua
character in video game "Alice Mare"
- Dr Joshua Levin
character on TV series "SeaQuest DSV"
- Joshua Gabriel Matthews
newborn on TV series "Boy Meets World"
- Joshua Rush
character on TV's "Knots Landing"
- Joshua Graham
a character in video game "Fallout: New Vegas , Honest Hearts"
- Joshua Tilpin
character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
- Joshua "Josh" Washington
character in video game "Until Dawn"
- Joshua Tree National Park
a vast protected area in southern California, characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes
- "Joshua Tree
" the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2