Joshua vs Emily

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

Name A

Joshua

Boy name · Rank #57

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Name B

Emily

Girl name · Rank #25

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Joshua Emily
Current Rank #57 #25
Total Births (all years) 1,244,059 890,970
Peak Year 1989 1999
Peak Year Births 44,099 26,542
Peak Decade 1980ss 1990ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Joshua Emily
1880ss 465 3,368
1890ss 287 5,476
1900ss 243 6,423
1910ss 926 17,069
1920ss 1,143 18,754
1930ss 948 11,916
1940ss 1,156 13,409
1950ss 2,222 12,840
1960ss 5,326 12,334
1970ss 140,325 46,843
1980ss 396,530 131,770
1990ss 329,184 237,260
2000ss 232,037 223,755
2010ss 106,229 117,626
2020ss 27,038 32,127

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Joshua Emily
2014 10,926 12,667
2015 9,847 11,806
2016 9,253 11,004
2017 8,344 9,813
2018 7,443 8,716
2019 6,625 8,256
2020 6,011 6,914
2021 5,524 6,591
2022 5,195 6,495
2023 5,064 6,172
2024 5,244 5,955

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.

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