Joshua

Last seen for girls in 2024 at #11,122 · #66 for boys in 2025, 4,773 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2002 · 25,998 births
Debut · boys
57 births
In top 100 · boys
55 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
1,248,929
since 1880

Joshua over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202000peak #3, 2002boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#664,773
2024#11,1228#575,268
2023#13,4626#605,070
2022#13,5926#605,197
2021#585,531
2020#10,2509#536,015
2019#9,73610#486,631
2018#407,446
2017#8,77612#388,353
2016#6,66318#359,258
2015#6,72118#339,850
2014#7,30216#2510,929
2013#8,58013#2111,861
2012#6,87218#1712,681
2011#5,35825#1413,797
2010#8,70113#1115,467
2009#5,70924#617,671
2008#5,57425#419,231
2007#3,98339#420,669
2006#4,57631#322,336
2005#3,46143#323,261
2004#1,614120#324,214
2003#3,23245#325,106
2002#3,10346#325,998
2001#2,96348#426,024
2000#2,70854#427,543
1999#2,36862#427,265
1998#2,65151#428,095
1997#2,22961#528,289
1996#1,91575#529,175
1995#2,15562#530,720
1994#1,84177#431,374
1993#1,419114#433,590
1992#1,357122#436,221
1991#1,219141#441,226
1990#1,066166#443,237
1989#885208#444,100
1988#652297#442,653
1987#678272#440,002
1986#616307#437,542
1985#657276#442,194
1984#655266#440,266
1983#718232#536,687
1982#720241#738,004
1981#700240#639,024
1980#747222#736,052
1979#762211#931,120
1978#981141#1225,204
1977#1,127113#1422,068
1976#1,19195#1816,845
1975#1,24192#2614,567
1974#1,53263#2911,599
1973#2,09438#428,057
1972#3,06221#595,033
1971#3,65217#803,650
1970#5,06110#1502,175
1969#5,4568#1971,321
1968#7,0165#271731
1967#314563
1966#340486
1965#352461
1964#407389
1963#416372
1962#436335
1961#423354
1960#454314
1959#440328
1958#477276
1957#467273
1956#491239
1955#471245
1954#524193
1953#551164
1952#523178
1951#530165
1950#537160
1949#490183
1948#587129
1947#568141
1946#608113
1945#61297
1944#601104
1943#65595
1942#591111
1941#62893
1940#62690
1939#569101
1938#72471
1937#60592
1936#573101
1935#66380
1934#574106
1933#569102
1932#560111
1931#61194
1930#64590
1929#72974
1928#562118
1927#569117
1926#612105
1925#605109
1924#594114
1923#539129
1922#571124
1921#562125
1920#542128
1919#503139
1918#552118
1917#522122
1916#58199
1915#472136
1914#52887
1913#49278
1912#50760
1911#44643
1910#39644
1909#48728
1908#45229
1907#45726
1906#42427
1905#54918
1904#49219
1903#45121
1902#52117
1901#39922
1900#36536
1899#37624
1898#29839
1897#34629
1896#35230
1895#34029
1894#37624
1893#37123
1892#28441
1891#34924
1890#35824
1889#29433
1888#24550
1887#24741
1886#22855
1885#25143
1884#26541
1883#20255
1882#23550
1881#24440
1880#21157
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Joshua was already there! It came in at #211, and was given to 57 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1901–1905, when fewer than 23 boys a year got the name.

Where Joshua is popular in 2000

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #4 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 57 boysAKMaine: #3 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 48 boysMEVermont: #14 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 64 boysVTNew Hampshire: #9 for boys · 113 births · 1 in 53 boysNHWashington: #3 for boys · 507 births · 1 in 68 boysWAIdaho: #2 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 69 boysIDMontana: #10 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 77 boysMTNorth Dakota: #22 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 86 boysNDMinnesota: #12 for boys · 403 births · 1 in 73 boysMNIllinois: #7 for boys · 1,101 births · 1 in 73 boysILWisconsin: #6 for boys · 446 births · 1 in 66 boysWIMichigan: #2 for boys · 1,016 births · 1 in 58 boysMINew York: #10 for boys · 1,640 births · 1 in 70 boysNYMassachusetts: #13 for boys · 533 births · 1 in 68 boysMARhode Island: #18 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 68 boysRIOregon: #2 for boys · 298 births · 1 in 66 boysORNevada: #3 for boys · 201 births · 1 in 62 boysNVWyoming: #8 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 58 boysWYSouth Dakota: #13 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 78 boysSDIowa: #22 for boys · 172 births · 1 in 97 boysIAIndiana: #6 for boys · 586 births · 1 in 67 boysINOhio: #7 for boys · 1,086 births · 1 in 65 boysOHPennsylvania: #7 for boys · 1,080 births · 1 in 61 boysPANew Jersey: #11 for boys · 709 births · 1 in 68 boysNJConnecticut: #8 for boys · 322 births · 1 in 56 boysCTCalifornia: #7 for boys · 3,356 births · 1 in 74 boysCAUtah: #2 for boys · 346 births · 1 in 61 boysUTColorado: #3 for boys · 425 births · 1 in 67 boysCONebraska: #3 for boys · 163 births · 1 in 62 boysNEMissouri: #5 for boys · 518 births · 1 in 66 boysMOKentucky: #8 for boys · 422 births · 1 in 57 boysKYWest Virginia: #5 for boys · 176 births · 1 in 52 boysWVVirginia: #6 for boys · 728 births · 1 in 56 boysVAMaryland: #2 for boys · 554 births · 1 in 52 boysMDDelaware: #4 for boys · 95 births · 1 in 44 boysDEArizona: #6 for boys · 492 births · 1 in 77 boysAZNew Mexico: #2 for boys · 185 births · 1 in 58 boysNMKansas: #4 for boys · 238 births · 1 in 69 boysKSArkansas: #4 for boys · 239 births · 1 in 62 boysARTennessee: #4 for boys · 665 births · 1 in 55 boysTNNorth Carolina: #3 for boys · 1,011 births · 1 in 51 boysNCSouth Carolina: #4 for boys · 400 births · 1 in 52 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #7 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 59 boysDCOklahoma: #3 for boys · 348 births · 1 in 59 boysOKLouisiana: #1 for boys · 473 births · 1 in 58 boysLAMississippi: #7 for boys · 257 births · 1 in 61 boysMSAlabama: #3 for boys · 503 births · 1 in 50 boysALGeorgia: #5 for boys · 905 births · 1 in 61 boysGAHawaii: #1 for boys · 131 births · 1 in 40 boysHITexas: #3 for boys · 2,454 births · 1 in 70 boysTXFlorida: #2 for boys · 1,592 births · 1 in 56 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Hawaii#1 · 1 in 40
  2. Louisiana#1 · 1 in 58
  3. Maryland#2 · 1 in 52
  4. Florida#2 · 1 in 56
  5. New Mexico#2 · 1 in 58

Best ever in a state: #1 in Montana, 1980.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#11311 in 40
Louisiana#14731 in 58
Florida#21,5921 in 56
Idaho#21141 in 69
Maryland#25541 in 52
Michigan#21,0161 in 58
New Mexico#21851 in 58
Oregon#22981 in 66
Utah#23461 in 61
Alabama#35031 in 50
Colorado#34251 in 67
Maine#31141 in 48
Nebraska#31631 in 62
Nevada#32011 in 62
North Carolina#31,0111 in 51
Oklahoma#33481 in 59
Texas#32,4541 in 70
Washington#35071 in 68
Alaska#4581 in 57
Arkansas#42391 in 62
Delaware#4951 in 44
Kansas#42381 in 69
South Carolina#44001 in 52
Tennessee#46651 in 55
Georgia#59051 in 61
Missouri#55181 in 66
West Virginia#51761 in 52
Arizona#64921 in 77
Indiana#65861 in 67
Virginia#67281 in 56
Wisconsin#64461 in 66
California#73,3561 in 74
District of Columbia#7821 in 59
Illinois#71,1011 in 73
Mississippi#72571 in 61
Ohio#71,0861 in 65
Pennsylvania#71,0801 in 61
Connecticut#83221 in 56
Kentucky#84221 in 57
Wyoming#8301 in 58
New Hampshire#91131 in 53
Montana#10521 in 77
New York#101,6401 in 70
New Jersey#117091 in 68
Minnesota#124031 in 73
Massachusetts#135331 in 68
South Dakota#13501 in 78
Vermont#14371 in 64
Rhode Island#18771 in 68
Iowa#221721 in 97
North Dakota#22401 in 86

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Joshua
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 9 spots since 2024 (#57#66)
  • 13 spots since 2020 (#53#66)
  • 33 spots since 2015 (#33#66)
  • Biggest jump: 155 spots in 1939 (#724#569)
  • Biggest drop: 167 spots in 1929 (#562#729)
Rise & fade · boys
122 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 2002 at #3 (25,998 births)
  • Births halved by 2012, 10 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 31 yrs
  • Top 10: 31 yrs · run 1979–2009
  • Top 100: 55 yrs · run 1971–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 44
  • Highest: 1 in 44 boys born in 1985 were named Joshua (2.3%)
  • Latest: 1 in 358 boys born in 2025 (0.28%)
  • Its best rank, #3 in 2002, was only 1 in 75 (1.3%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1980s
  • 31.7% of all boys named Joshua (396,524) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s465#202 (1883)#242
1890s287#284 (1892)#345
1900s243#365 (1900)#460
1910s926#396 (1910)#500
1920s1,143#539 (1923)#589
1930s948#560 (1932)#609
1940s1,156#490 (1949)#597
1950s2,221#440 (1959)#501
1960s5,326#197 (1969)#361
1970s140,318#9 (1979)#44
1980s396,524#4 (1989)#5
1990s329,192#4 (1990)#4
2000s232,053#3 (2002)#4
2010s106,273#11 (2010)#28
2020s31,854#53 (2020)#59

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Joshua in 2000

girls
#2,708
54 births · 1 in 33,630 girls
boys
#4
27,543 births · 1 in 71 boys

Top girls' names in 2000

  1. #1Emily25,959
  2. #2Hannah23,087
  3. #3Madison19,968
  4. #4Ashley18,000
  5. #5Sarah17,715
  6. #6Alexis17,631
  7. #7Samantha17,265
  8. #8Jessica15,711
  9. #9Elizabeth15,117
  10. #10Taylor15,080
  11. #2,708Joshua54

Top boys' names in 2000

  1. #1Jacob34,492
  2. #2Michael32,045
  3. #3Matthew28,580
  4. #4Joshua27,543
  5. #5Christopher24,936
  6. #6Nicholas24,653
  7. #7Andrew23,658
  8. #8Joseph22,844
  9. #9Daniel22,338
  10. #10Tyler21,506
More about 2000

girls

1,816,036 girls got a published name in 2000; 1 in 33,630 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 84.7% of the 17,660 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 10.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joshua
  1. #2,672Uma55
  2. #2,672Yanely55
  3. #2,672Zahria55
  4. #2,708Joshua54
  5. #2,708Afton54
  6. #2,708Alaura54
  7. #2,708Aleyah54
  8. #2,740Alexyss53
  9. #2,740Alianna53
  10. #2,740Alona53

Tied with 31 names at #2,708; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1999
Risers
  1. 2,528Laisha#3,509#981
  2. 2,131Litzy#2,527#396
  3. 2,096Cielo#2,991#895
  4. 1,864Yamilet#2,703#839
  5. 1,775Nyah#2,567#792
Fallers
  1. 560Tatyanna#951#1,511
  2. 529Jailene#506#1,035
  3. 431Shanice#727#1,158
  4. 384Chantal#921#1,305
  5. 348Infant#658#1,006

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,964,001 boys got a published name in 2000; 1 in 71 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 100.0% of the 12,119 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 13.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joshua
  1. #1Jacob34,492
  2. #2Michael32,045
  3. #3Matthew28,580
  4. #4Joshua27,543
  5. #5Christopher24,936
  6. #6Nicholas24,653
  7. #7Andrew23,658
Biggest movers since 1999
Risers
  1. 4,806Maximus#5,656#850
  2. 2,950Elian#3,376#426
  3. 438Axel#799#361
  4. 437Luca#1,063#626
  5. 403Jevon#1,039#636
Fallers
  1. 1,334Trajan#996#2,330
  2. 498Jordi#743#1,241
  3. 322Auston#931#1,253
  4. 298Tyreke#737#1,035
  5. 274Tahj#863#1,137

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2000