Joshua

Joshua: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “Yahweh is salvation”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: JOSH-oo-uh · 3 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Hebrew Yehoshua, later shortened to Yeshua in some periods. Joshua is a major biblical name borne by Moses's successor.

Hebrew names English names Names meaning faith Names meaning hope Classic names Biblical names International names

How popular is Joshua?

20241,578 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 Joshua in 20245,252

2024 rank#57 boys

Peak year1985

Total US babies since 18801,249,012

Joshua is fading: recent use is about 46% of its level ten years before.

Names like Joshua

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

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

Joshua questions

What does the name Joshua mean?

Joshua means "Yahweh is salvation". It comes from Hebrew. From Hebrew Yehoshua, later shortened to Yeshua in some periods. Joshua is a major biblical name borne by Moses's successor.

Is Joshua a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Joshua?

5,252 US babies were named Joshua in 2024. Its peak year was 1985.

How do you pronounce Joshua?

Joshua is usually pronounced JOSH-oo-uh.

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.