Josh vs Joshua

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

Name A

Josh

Boy name · Rank #1726

Full profile →
Name B

Joshua

Boy name · Rank #57

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Josh Joshua
Current Rank #1726 #57
Total Births (all years) 17,193 1,244,059
Peak Year 1979 1989
Peak Year Births 531 44,099
Peak Decade 1970ss 1980ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Josh Joshua
1880ss 234 465
1890ss 209 287
1900ss 195 243
1910ss 395 926
1920ss 439 1,143
1930ss 348 948
1940ss 361 1,156
1950ss 597 2,222
1960ss 1,212 5,326
1970ss 4,012 140,325
1980ss 2,819 396,530
1990ss 1,827 329,184
2000ss 2,656 232,037
2010ss 1,417 106,229
2020ss 472 27,038

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Josh Joshua
2014 166 10,926
2015 123 9,847
2016 108 9,253
2017 129 8,344
2018 113 7,443
2019 103 6,625
2020 94 6,011
2021 100 5,524
2022 94 5,195
2023 89 5,064
2024 95 5,244

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, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names