Joshua
Hebrew Yehoshua, “Yahweh is salvation” — the same name as Jesus.
Popularity, 1880–2025
The general who led Israel into Canaan, a leader of the biblical revival that reshaped the 1980s boys' list.
Joshua appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1971 to 2025. It spent 31 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1989, when 44,100 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 4 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2002, at No. 3. In 2025 it ranked No. 66 for boys. All told, 1,253,882 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Joshuah (2,873), Joshawa (508) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Jason, Jesus
Explore Joshua interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 465 | No. 202 |
| 1890s | 287 | No. 284 |
| 1900s | 243 | No. 365 |
| 1910s | 926 | No. 396 |
| 1920s | 1,143 | No. 539 |
| 1930s | 948 | No. 560 |
| 1940s | 1,156 | No. 490 |
| 1950s | 2,221 | No. 440 |
| 1960s | 5,326 | No. 197 |
| 1970s | 140,318 | No. 9 |
| 1980s | 396,524 | No. 4 |
| 1990s | 329,192 | No. 4 |
| 2000s | 232,053 | No. 3 |
| 2010s | 106,273 | No. 11 |
| 2020s | 31,854 | No. 53 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.