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
- Peak · boys
- 2002 · 25,998 births
- Debut · boys
- 57 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 55 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 1,248,929since 1880
Joshua over time
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | — | #66 | 4,773 | |
| 2024 | #11,122 | 8 | #57 | 5,268 |
| 2023 | #13,462 | 6 | #60 | 5,070 |
| 2022 | #13,592 | 6 | #60 | 5,197 |
| 2021 | — | #58 | 5,531 | |
| 2020 | #10,250 | 9 | #53 | 6,015 |
| 2019 | #9,736 | 10 | #48 | 6,631 |
| 2018 | — | #40 | 7,446 | |
| 2017 | #8,776 | 12 | #38 | 8,353 |
| 2016 | #6,663 | 18 | #35 | 9,258 |
| 2015 | #6,721 | 18 | #33 | 9,850 |
| 2014 | #7,302 | 16 | #25 | 10,929 |
| 2013 | #8,580 | 13 | #21 | 11,861 |
| 2012 | #6,872 | 18 | #17 | 12,681 |
| 2011 | #5,358 | 25 | #14 | 13,797 |
| 2010 | #8,701 | 13 | #11 | 15,467 |
| 2009 | #5,709 | 24 | #6 | 17,671 |
| 2008 | #5,574 | 25 | #4 | 19,231 |
| 2007 | #3,983 | 39 | #4 | 20,669 |
| 2006 | #4,576 | 31 | #3 | 22,336 |
| 2005 | #3,461 | 43 | #3 | 23,261 |
| 2004 | #1,614 | 120 | #3 | 24,214 |
| 2003 | #3,232 | 45 | #3 | 25,106 |
| 2002 | #3,103 | 46 | #3 | 25,998 |
| 2001 | #2,963 | 48 | #4 | 26,024 |
| 2000 | #2,708 | 54 | #4 | 27,543 |
| 1999 | #2,368 | 62 | #4 | 27,265 |
| 1998 | #2,651 | 51 | #4 | 28,095 |
| 1997 | #2,229 | 61 | #5 | 28,289 |
| 1996 | #1,915 | 75 | #5 | 29,175 |
| 1995 | #2,155 | 62 | #5 | 30,720 |
| 1994 | #1,841 | 77 | #4 | 31,374 |
| 1993 | #1,419 | 114 | #4 | 33,590 |
| 1992 | #1,357 | 122 | #4 | 36,221 |
| 1991 | #1,219 | 141 | #4 | 41,226 |
| 1990 | #1,066 | 166 | #4 | 43,237 |
| 1989 | #885 | 208 | #4 | 44,100 |
| 1988 | #652 | 297 | #4 | 42,653 |
| 1987 | #678 | 272 | #4 | 40,002 |
| 1986 | #616 | 307 | #4 | 37,542 |
| 1985 | #657 | 276 | #4 | 42,194 |
| 1984 | #655 | 266 | #4 | 40,266 |
| 1983 | #718 | 232 | #5 | 36,687 |
| 1982 | #720 | 241 | #7 | 38,004 |
| 1981 | #700 | 240 | #6 | 39,024 |
| 1980 | #747 | 222 | #7 | 36,052 |
| 1979 | #762 | 211 | #9 | 31,120 |
| 1978 | #981 | 141 | #12 | 25,204 |
| 1977 | #1,127 | 113 | #14 | 22,068 |
| 1976 | #1,191 | 95 | #18 | 16,845 |
| 1975 | #1,241 | 92 | #26 | 14,567 |
| 1974 | #1,532 | 63 | #29 | 11,599 |
| 1973 | #2,094 | 38 | #42 | 8,057 |
| 1972 | #3,062 | 21 | #59 | 5,033 |
| 1971 | #3,652 | 17 | #80 | 3,650 |
| 1970 | #5,061 | 10 | #150 | 2,175 |
| 1969 | #5,456 | 8 | #197 | 1,321 |
| 1968 | #7,016 | 5 | #271 | 731 |
| 1967 | — | #314 | 563 | |
| 1966 | — | #340 | 486 | |
| 1965 | — | #352 | 461 | |
| 1964 | — | #407 | 389 | |
| 1963 | — | #416 | 372 | |
| 1962 | — | #436 | 335 | |
| 1961 | — | #423 | 354 | |
| 1960 | — | #454 | 314 | |
| 1959 | — | #440 | 328 | |
| 1958 | — | #477 | 276 | |
| 1957 | — | #467 | 273 | |
| 1956 | — | #491 | 239 | |
| 1955 | — | #471 | 245 | |
| 1954 | — | #524 | 193 | |
| 1953 | — | #551 | 164 | |
| 1952 | — | #523 | 178 | |
| 1951 | — | #530 | 165 | |
| 1950 | — | #537 | 160 | |
| 1949 | — | #490 | 183 | |
| 1948 | — | #587 | 129 | |
| 1947 | — | #568 | 141 | |
| 1946 | — | #608 | 113 | |
| 1945 | — | #612 | 97 | |
| 1944 | — | #601 | 104 | |
| 1943 | — | #655 | 95 | |
| 1942 | — | #591 | 111 | |
| 1941 | — | #628 | 93 | |
| 1940 | — | #626 | 90 | |
| 1939 | — | #569 | 101 | |
| 1938 | — | #724 | 71 | |
| 1937 | — | #605 | 92 | |
| 1936 | — | #573 | 101 | |
| 1935 | — | #663 | 80 | |
| 1934 | — | #574 | 106 | |
| 1933 | — | #569 | 102 | |
| 1932 | — | #560 | 111 | |
| 1931 | — | #611 | 94 | |
| 1930 | — | #645 | 90 | |
| 1929 | — | #729 | 74 | |
| 1928 | — | #562 | 118 | |
| 1927 | — | #569 | 117 | |
| 1926 | — | #612 | 105 | |
| 1925 | — | #605 | 109 | |
| 1924 | — | #594 | 114 | |
| 1923 | — | #539 | 129 | |
| 1922 | — | #571 | 124 | |
| 1921 | — | #562 | 125 | |
| 1920 | — | #542 | 128 | |
| 1919 | — | #503 | 139 | |
| 1918 | — | #552 | 118 | |
| 1917 | — | #522 | 122 | |
| 1916 | — | #581 | 99 | |
| 1915 | — | #472 | 136 | |
| 1914 | — | #528 | 87 | |
| 1913 | — | #492 | 78 | |
| 1912 | — | #507 | 60 | |
| 1911 | — | #446 | 43 | |
| 1910 | — | #396 | 44 | |
| 1909 | — | #487 | 28 | |
| 1908 | — | #452 | 29 | |
| 1907 | — | #457 | 26 | |
| 1906 | — | #424 | 27 | |
| 1905 | — | #549 | 18 | |
| 1904 | — | #492 | 19 | |
| 1903 | — | #451 | 21 | |
| 1902 | — | #521 | 17 | |
| 1901 | — | #399 | 22 | |
| 1900 | — | #365 | 36 | |
| 1899 | — | #376 | 24 | |
| 1898 | — | #298 | 39 | |
| 1897 | — | #346 | 29 | |
| 1896 | — | #352 | 30 | |
| 1895 | — | #340 | 29 | |
| 1894 | — | #376 | 24 | |
| 1893 | — | #371 | 23 | |
| 1892 | — | #284 | 41 | |
| 1891 | — | #349 | 24 | |
| 1890 | — | #358 | 24 | |
| 1889 | — | #294 | 33 | |
| 1888 | — | #245 | 50 | |
| 1887 | — | #247 | 41 | |
| 1886 | — | #228 | 55 | |
| 1885 | — | #251 | 43 | |
| 1884 | — | #265 | 41 | |
| 1883 | — | #202 | 55 | |
| 1882 | — | #235 | 50 | |
| 1881 | — | #244 | 40 | |
| 1880 | — | #211 | 57 | |
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.
See more about Joshua
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 2002 at #3 (25,998 births)
- Births halved by 2012, 10 yrs later
- Top 10: 31 yrs · run 1979–2009
- Top 100: 55 yrs · run 1971–2025
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- 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
- 31.7% of all boys named Joshua (396,524) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 465 | #202 (1883) | #242 |
| 1890s | 287 | #284 (1892) | #345 |
| 1900s | 243 | #365 (1900) | #460 |
| 1910s | 926 | #396 (1910) | #500 |
| 1920s | 1,143 | #539 (1923) | #589 |
| 1930s | 948 | #560 (1932) | #609 |
| 1940s | 1,156 | #490 (1949) | #597 |
| 1950s | 2,221 | #440 (1959) | #501 |
| 1960s | 5,326 | #197 (1969) | #361 |
| 1970s | 140,318 | #9 (1979) | #44 |
| 1980s | 396,524 | #4 (1989) | #5 |
| 1990s | 329,192 | #4 (1990) | #4 |
| 2000s | 232,053 | #3 (2002) | #4 |
| 2010s | 106,273 | #11 (2010) | #28 |
| 2020s | 31,854 | #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 1972
Top girls' names in 1972
Top boys' names in 1972
More about 1972
girls
1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 72,440 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 68.3% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #2,976Wonda22
- #2,976Yolando22
- #2,976Zanetta22
- #3,062Joshua21
- #3,062Agatha21
- #3,062Aime21
- #3,062Alene21
- #3,177Abra20
- #3,177Alanda20
- #3,177Anamaria20
Tied with 114 names at #3,062; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 322 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 99.0% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.