Josh

Josh: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “Yahweh is salvation”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: JOSH · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

Short form of Joshua, from Hebrew Yehoshua. Josh is also commonly used as a familiar form for Josiah in English.

English names Hebrew names Names meaning faith Names meaning gift Short names Biblical names Classic names

How popular is Josh?

202428.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Josh in 202495

2024 rank#1,726 boys

Peak year1974

Total US babies since 188017,193

Josh is fading: recent use is about 62% of its level ten years before.

Names like Josh

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

JoshuaYahweh is salvation · Hebrew
JosueYahweh is salvation · Spanish
YeshuaGod is salvation · Hebrew
Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew

Josh questions

What does the name Josh mean?

Josh means "Yahweh is salvation". It comes from Hebrew. Short form of Joshua, from Hebrew Yehoshua. Josh is also commonly used as a familiar form for Josiah in English.

Is Josh a boy or girl name?

Josh is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Josh?

95 US babies were named Josh in 2024. Its peak year was 1974.

How do you pronounce Josh?

Josh is usually pronounced JOSH.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.