Joshua vs Jessica

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

Name A

Joshua

Boy name · Rank #57

Full profile →
Name B

Jessica

Girl name · Rank #574

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Joshua Jessica
Current Rank #57 #574
Total Births (all years) 1,244,059 1,050,306
Peak Year 1989 1987
Peak Year Births 44,099 55,996
Peak Decade 1980ss 1980ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Joshua Jessica
1880ss 465 94
1890ss 287 135
1900ss 243 159
1910ss 926 411
1920ss 1,143 410
1930ss 948 499
1940ss 1,156 2,204
1950ss 2,222 4,560
1960ss 5,326 13,671
1970ss 140,325 143,498
1980ss 396,530 469,518
1990ss 329,184 303,129
2000ss 232,037 90,665
2010ss 106,229 18,222
2020ss 27,038 3,131

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Joshua Jessica
2014 10,926 1,802
2015 9,847 1,591
2016 9,253 1,392
2017 8,344 1,291
2018 7,443 1,066
2019 6,625 969
2020 6,011 779
2021 5,524 656
2022 5,195 620
2023 5,064 550
2024 5,244 526

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