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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201999peak #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.

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 1999

girls
#2,368
62 births · 1 in 28,610 girls
boys
#4
27,265 births · 1 in 70 boys

Top girls' names in 1999

  1. #1Emily26,542
  2. #2Hannah21,679
  3. #3Alexis19,237
  4. #4Sarah19,119
  5. #5Samantha19,044
  6. #6Ashley18,136
  7. #7Madison18,054
  8. #8Taylor16,906
  9. #9Jessica16,350
  10. #10Elizabeth15,350
  11. #2,368Joshua62

Top boys' names in 1999

  1. #1Jacob35,371
  2. #2Michael33,915
  3. #3Matthew30,418
  4. #4Joshua27,265
  5. #5Nicholas25,639
  6. #6Christopher25,604
  7. #7Andrew23,866
  8. #8Joseph23,220
  9. #9Daniel22,704
  10. #10Tyler22,669
More about 1999

girls

1,773,823 girls got a published name in 1999; 1 in 28,610 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 86.0% of the 16,947 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 10.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joshua
  1. #2,343Queen63
  2. #2,343Seirra63
  3. #2,343Yenifer63
  4. #2,368Joshua62
  5. #2,368Alexie62
  6. #2,368Andi62
  7. #2,368Avianna62
  8. #2,405Althea61
  9. #2,405Anja61
  10. #2,405Brandee61

Tied with 36 names at #2,368; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1998
Risers
  1. 1,407Citlalli#2,338#931
  2. 1,329Noelia#2,048#719
  3. 1,060Amaya#1,458#398
  4. 864Kyara#1,789#925
  5. 604Journey#1,557#953
Fallers
  1. 579Erykah#779#1,358
  2. 417Tea#747#1,164
  3. 415Tasia#800#1,215
  4. 406Monika#930#1,336
  5. 357Chase#952#1,309

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

boys

1,920,150 boys got a published name in 1999; 1 in 70 of them was named Joshua, which outranked 100.0% of the 11,614 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 14.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joshua
  1. #1Jacob35,371
  2. #2Michael33,915
  3. #3Matthew30,418
  4. #4Joshua27,265
  5. #5Nicholas25,639
  6. #6Christopher25,604
  7. #7Andrew23,866
Biggest movers since 1998
Risers
  1. 1,239Trajan#2,235#996
  2. 669Tyreese#1,558#889
  3. 595Latrell#1,231#636
  4. 420Zion#694#274
  5. 414Xander#1,338#924
Fallers
  1. 381Jaret#555#936
  2. 362Kordell#841#1,203
  3. 313Juwan#524#837
  4. 296Jarett#743#1,039
  5. 288Christion#989#1,277

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

See the top 100 for 1999