Given name & surname
Joshua
“God . is salvation”·“God is salvation”
Joshua is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “God . is salvation” (Hebrew) and “God is salvation” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewישוע
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “God . is salvation” (Hebrew) and “God is salvation” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
Possibly from Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa').
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
In biblical tradition, Joshua is the name of the Israelite leader.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Joshua appears in Numbers 13:16, 1 Samuel 6:14, 2 Kings 23:8.
- Numbers 13:16
- 1 Samuel 6:14
- 2 Kings 23:8
From biblical name research
Joshua through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,253,882
- 1,248,929 boys · 4,953 girls
- Most popular year
- 1989
- 44,308 babies
- 2025
- 4,773
- #66 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −31%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 4,773 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 66 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 31.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 44,100 in 1989. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (596). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 939,718 as a first name in 2020; 3,344 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Joshua’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Joshua has a diminutive in Josh. Joshua shares a linguistic root with Giosuè. In German usage, Joshua has a related form in Josue.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Joshua has relatives in 27 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Joshua comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 25
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Yeshuaequivalent
- Yehoshuaequivalent
- Josuahequivalent
- Iosuaequivalent
- Jesúsequivalent
- കോശിequivalent
- Iosueequivalent
- יהושעequivalent
Show 17 moreShow fewer
See also 9
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Isaiahshares a root
- Jasonsee also
- Hoseashares a root
- Osheashares a root
- Jeshuashares a root
- Jeshaiahshares a root
- Hoshaiahshares a root
- Hosheashares a root
Show 1 moreShow fewer
People named Joshua
- Joshua BassettAmerican actor and singer-songwriterborn 2000
- Joshua KimmichGerman association football player (born 1995)
- Joshua ReynoldsEnglish painter (1723–1792)
- Josh HutchersonAmerican actorborn 1992
- Josh HartnettAmerican actor and producer (born 1978)
- Joshua LederbergAmerican molecular biologist (1925–2008)
- Joshua KennedyAustralian association football playerborn 1982
- Joshua JacksonCanadian actorborn 1978
- Josh GadAmerican actor (born 1981)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- Most Popular Names of the 1980s
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- Most Popular Names of the 1990s
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- Popular Names in Australia
Similar names
If you love Joshua, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jacob
“heel grabber” · “supplanter”
>99% boys
Zachariah
“The Lord remembers”
>99% boys
Jeremy
“one who is exalted by the Lord” · “appointed by God”
>99% boys
Jared
“descent” · “of the descent; descending”
>99% boys
Nathanael
“God has given”
>99% boys
Jeconiah
“Yah establishes” · “the Lord will establish”
>99% boys
Joscha
“Yahweh is a gift”
>99% boys
Joshaviah
“Yah supports”
80% boys · 20% girls