Joseph vs Joshua

Side-by-side comparison of Joseph and Joshua - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Joseph

Boy name · Rank #32

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Name B

Joshua

Boy name · Rank #57

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Joseph Joshua
Current Rank #32 #57
Total Births (all years) 2,669,490 1,248,929
Peak Year 1956 1989
Peak Year Births 32,749 44,100
Peak Decade 1950s 1980s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Joseph Joshua
1880s 26,292 465
1890s 29,000 287
1900s 35,173 243
1910s 179,300 926
1920s 243,809 1,143
1930s 180,566 948
1940s 230,285 1,156
1950s 300,012 2,221
1960s 283,048 5,326
1970s 244,825 140,318
1980s 299,411 396,524
1990s 260,751 329,192
2000s 194,962 232,053
2010s 115,722 106,273
2020s 46,334 31,854

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Joseph Joshua
2014 12,155 10,929
2015 11,531 9,850
2016 10,969 9,258
2017 10,488 8,353
2018 9,682 7,446
2019 9,179 6,631
2020 8,486 6,015
2021 8,166 5,531
2022 7,839 5,197
2023 7,279 5,070
2024 7,261 5,268
2025 7,303 4,773

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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