Given name & surname
Josiah
“God heals”·“God will help”
Josiah is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “God heals” (Hebrew) and “God will help” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewיאשיה
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “God heals” (Hebrew) and “God will help” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
In biblical tradition, Josiah is the name of a king of Judah.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Josiah appears in Zechariah 6:14, Jeremiah 27:1, Matthew 1:10 and 1 other passage.
- Zechariah 6:14
- Jeremiah 27:1
- Matthew 1:10
- Matthew 1:11
From biblical name research
Josiah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 149,420
- 148,958 boys · 462 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 7,092 babies
- 2025
- 5,522
- #54 for boys · #8,083 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5,509 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 54 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7,079 in 2017. It also appeared in 13 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (800). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 95,175 as a first name in 2020; 648 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.
Josiah’s family of names
In English usage, Josiah has a diminutive in Joe. Josiah has a related form in Josias. In English usage, Josiah has a related form in Joziah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 13
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Josiah
- Josiah Willard GibbsAmerican scientist (1839–1903)
- Josiah WedgwoodEnglish potter and founder of the Wedgwood company (1730–1795)
- Josiah RoyceAmerican philosopher (1855–1916)
- Josiah WarrenAmerican social reformer, philosopher, inventor, musician, and author (1798–1874)
- Josiah BartlettAmerican physician and judge, signatory of the Declaration of Independence (1729–1795)
- Major RitchieEnglish tennis player (1870-1955)
- Josiah McCrackenAmerican football player, athlete and professor of medicine (1874-1962)
- Josiah ConderBritish architect (1852-1920)
- Josiah Latimer ClarkBritish electrical engineer (1822–1898)
Characters named Josiah: Jed Bartlet (The West Wing).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Josiah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jeremiah
“appointed by God” · “one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Jonah
“dove”
99% boys · 1% girls
Molech
“king”
>99% boys
Judah
“praised” · “one who praises God”
98% boys · 2% girls
Milcom
“their king” · “most high king”
>99% boys
Adrammelech
“magnificence of the king” · “adar is king”
>99% boys
Nathan
“he has given” · “God has given”
>99% boys
ܣܪܓܘܢ
“the king is legitimate”
>99% boys