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.
- #898 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,699 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,288
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Josh currently ranks #1699 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 #1699 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.
- #898 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,699 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 17,288 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Josh ranks #898 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,699 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 17,288 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #898 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,699 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,288
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
Josh's 17,288 recorded births place it above 98.02% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
44 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Josh compares
17,288 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 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 (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 17,288 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 531 | 34 | 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 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
1970s is the heaviest window (4,011 births, 23% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Josh sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Josh most popular? ▼
Where is Josh most popular? ▼
How long has the name Josh been used? ▼
What names are similar to Josh? ▼
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
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
Compare Josh side by side: Josh vs Joseph Josh vs Joshua Josh vs Jose
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Josh
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Josh: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.