Boys' name · since 1880
Joshua
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 1,248,929 babies named Joshua, peaking in 1989. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #23 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #66 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,248,929
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
1,248,929 babies have been named Joshua since 1880, making it today's #66 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Joshua has been recorded 1,248,929 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #66 nationally and more common than 99.5% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #23 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #66 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,248,929 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Joshua ranks #23 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #66 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,248,929 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #23 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #66 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,248,929
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Joshua's 1,248,929 recorded births place it above 99.94% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Joshua compares
1,248,929 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Joshua's all-time total is 3,385x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Joshua | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,248,929 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 44,100 | 34 | 22,252 |
Joshua's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Joshua's full recorded timeline at 1953, 100% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 0% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1902, with just 17 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1989 peak of 44,100 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Joshua popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1989)
- 44,100
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Joshua popularity over time - girls
4,953 total births recorded since 1968 (Joshua as girls' name)
Joshua by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (396,524 births, 32% of the file).
1980s was Joshua's strongest decade.
396,524 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Joshua births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 465
1880s
465 births
- 1890s 287
1890s
287 births
- 1900s 243
1900s
243 births
- 1910s 926
1910s
926 births
- 1920s 1,143
1920s
1,143 births
- 1930s 948
1930s
948 births
- 1940s 1,156
1940s
1,156 births
- 1950s 2,221
1950s
2,221 births
- 1960s 5,326
1960s
5,326 births
- 1970s 140,318
1970s
140,318 births
- 1980s
1980s
396,524 births
- 1990s
1990s
329,192 births
- 2000s
2000s
232,053 births
- 2010s 106,273
2010s
106,273 births
- 2020s 31,854
2020s
31,854 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 396,524 births (32% of all-time use).
How Joshua 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 Joshua's total volume
Joshua by state
Where Joshua concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 138,215 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 100,573 | 8.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 67,735 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Florida | | 61,926 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 57,390 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 50,796 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 49,305 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 44,564 | 3.6% |
138,215 of 1,248,929 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Joshua appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Joshua? ▼
Where does Joshua sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Joshua most popular? ▼
Where is Joshua most popular? ▼
How long has the name Joshua been used? ▼
What names are similar to Joshua? ▼
What to do with Joshua's data
- Joshua's decade-level peak was the 1980s (396,524 total births); usage has since declined to 31,854 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Joshuas (138,215 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 Joshua
Nearby Names Like Joshua
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Joshua
Compare Joshua side by side: Joshua vs Joseph Joshua vs Jose Joshua vs Josiah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Joshua
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Joshua: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1989)
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 Joshua 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.