Total births
17,288
Boys' name · since 1880
Josh
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 17,288 babies named Josh, peaking in 1979. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1736
- among boys today
- 17,288
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Josh currently ranks #1736 among boys' names in America, with 17,288 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Josh recorded 17,288 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1736 nationally today, ahead of 88% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1736 among boys today
- 17,288 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Josh is currently the #1736 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 17,288 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1736
- among boys today
- 17,288
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Josh vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1736
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Josh was born in this single decade.
1979
Single peak year
531 babies were named Josh in 1979 - its busiest year on record.
How Josh compares
17,288 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Josh's all-time total is 47x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Josh | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 17,288 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 531 | 23 | 22,252 |
Josh's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Josh splits its recorded history at 1953: 87% of all births land in the more recent half, 13% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1906 (13 births) -- compare that against the 1979 peak of 531 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Josh at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1979
Current rank
#1,736
Active since
1880
Josh popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 531
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Josh by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Josh's strongest decade.
4,011 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Josh births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 234
1880s
234 births
- 1890s 209
1890s
209 births
- 1900s 195
1900s
195 births
- 1910s 395
1910s
395 births
- 1920s 439
1920s
439 births
- 1930s 348
1930s
348 births
- 1940s 361
1940s
361 births
- 1950s 596
1950s
596 births
- 1960s 1,212
1960s
1,212 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,011 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,818 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,827 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,656 births
- 2010s 1,419
2010s
1,419 births
- 2020s 568
2020s
568 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 4,011 births (23% of all-time use).
How Josh compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Josh's total volume
Josh vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Josh by state
Where Josh concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,887 | 10.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,385 | 8.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,157 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 861 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 544 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 540 | 3.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 485 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 416 | 2.4% |
California share of Josh's total US births 10.9%
Even split
1,887 of 17,288 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Josh appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Josh? ▼
Josh has been given to 17,288 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1736 as of the latest data. 531 babies were born in 1979, its single highest year.
When was Josh most popular? ▼
Josh was most popular in the 1970s decade with 4,011 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Josh most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Josh are California (1,887 births), Texas (1,385 births), New York (1,157 births).
How long has the name Josh been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Josh since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Josh? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Joseph, Joshua, Jose, Josiah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Josh's data
- Josh's decade-level peak was the 1970s (4,011 total births); usage has since declined to 568 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Joshs (1,887 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Josh
Nearby Names Like Josh
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Josh
Joseph Boy
#32 2,669,490 births
Joshua Boy
#57 1,248,929 births
Jose Boy
#91 592,512 births
Josiah Boy
#53 148,958 births
Josue Boy
#294 57,689 births
Compare Josh side by side: Josh vs Joseph Josh vs Joshua Josh vs Jose
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Josh
Clifton #1735
70,249 births · Peak 1975
Malcom #1737
5,864 births · Peak 1992
Xion #1734
1,003 births · Peak 2024
Presley #1738
4,945 births · Peak 2009
Kyrin #1733
2,099 births · Peak 2017
Ignatius #1739
4,075 births · Peak 2025
Pharaoh #1732
1,992 births · Peak 2019
Hazen #1740
2,327 births · Peak 2024
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Josh: #1736 Boys' Name - 17,288 Births, Peak 1979." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/josh. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Josh draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.