Josiah
Josiah was given to 5,509 boys in 2025, #54 among boys’ names; 149,420 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 146,000 Americans named Josiah and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (98% of everyone recorded); the median is 12 years old and half are between 7 and 19.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Josiah by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Josiah mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Josiah is “a male given name from Hebrew.”
From Biblical Hebrew יֹאשִׁיָּה (yōšiyyā), יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (yōšiyyā́hū).
/d͡ʒoʊˈzaɪə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Josiah?
#54 among boys’ names, 2025
Josiah rose from #57 in 2015 to #54 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born fell from 3.5 to 3.2 per 1,000.
7,092 babies in 2017, the peak
Josiah peaked in 2017, when 7,092 babies were given it (7,079 boys, #51 among boys’ names). The 5,522 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 78% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,509 | #54 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | 5,486 | #53 | 3.2 |
| 2023 | 5,445 | #53 | 3.2 |
| 2022 | 5,838 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | 6,157 | #49 | 3.5 |
| 2020 | 6,164 | #49 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 6,847 | #45 | 3.8 |
| 2018 | 6,684 | #52 | 3.7 |
| 2017 | 7,079 | #51 | 3.8 |
| 2016 | 7,025 | #55 | 3.7 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6,677 | #57 | 3.5 |
| 2014 | 6,482 | #64 | 3.4 |
| 2013 | 6,316 | #69 | 3.3 |
| 2012 | 5,538 | #79 | 2.9 |
| 2011 | 5,274 | #80 | 2.8 |
| 2010 | 5,210 | #77 | 2.7 |
| 2009 | 5,020 | #86 | 2.5 |
| 2008 | 4,785 | #95 | 2.3 |
| 2007 | 4,225 | #105 | 2.0 |
| 2006 | 3,649 | #117 | 1.8 |
| 2005 | 3,260 | #125 | 1.6 |
| 2004 | 2,797 | #142 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | 2,684 | #152 | 1.4 |
| 2002 | 2,570 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 2001 | 2,239 | #169 | 1.2 |
| 2000 | 2,029 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 1999 | 1,742 | #194 | 0.91 |
| 1998 | 1,526 | #212 | 0.80 |
| 1997 | 1,381 | #223 | 0.73 |
| 1996 | 1,243 | #239 | 0.66 |
| 1995 | 1,018 | #273 | 0.53 |
| 1994 | 916 | #298 | 0.47 |
| 1993 | 891 | #307 | 0.45 |
| 1992 | 784 | #324 | 0.39 |
| 1991 | 738 | #334 | 0.37 |
| 1990 | 677 | #355 | 0.33 |
| 1989 | 591 | #379 | 0.30 |
| 1988 | 544 | #371 | 0.28 |
| 1987 | 502 | #384 | 0.27 |
| 1986 | 489 | #377 | 0.27 |
| 1985 | 497 | #371 | 0.27 |
| 1984 | 470 | #375 | 0.26 |
| 1983 | 405 | #405 | 0.23 |
| 1982 | 367 | #439 | 0.20 |
| 1981 | 285 | #498 | 0.16 |
| 1980 | 256 | #537 | 0.14 |
| 1979 | 216 | #582 | 0.13 |
| 1978 | 159 | #665 | 0.10 |
| 1977 | 155 | #680 | 0.09 |
| 1976 | 123 | #750 | 0.08 |
| 1975 | 86 | #893 | 0.06 |
| 1974 | 64 | #1,029 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 42 | #1,284 | 0.03 |
| 1972 | 43 | #1,273 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 28 | #1,689 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 29 | #1,594 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 28 | #1,544 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 19 | #1,869 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 15 | #2,081 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 17 | #1,926 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 13 | #2,314 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 9 | #2,960 | under 0.01 |
| 1963 | 14 | #2,256 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 18 | #1,925 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 29 | #1,506 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 11 | #2,608 | 0.01 |
| 1959 | 23 | #1,687 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 20 | #1,804 | 0.01 |
| 1957 | 13 | #2,324 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 20 | #1,782 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 17 | #1,932 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 24 | #1,574 | 0.01 |
| 1953 | 17 | #1,925 | 0.01 |
| 1952 | 24 | #1,568 | 0.01 |
| 1951 | 17 | #1,873 | 0.01 |
| 1950 | 20 | #1,679 | 0.01 |
| 1949 | 20 | #1,685 | 0.01 |
| 1948 | 22 | #1,587 | 0.01 |
| 1947 | 18 | #1,818 | 0.01 |
| 1946 | 15 | #1,918 | 0.01 |
| 1945 | 14 | #1,891 | 0.01 |
| 1944 | 17 | #1,707 | 0.01 |
| 1943 | 15 | #1,947 | 0.01 |
| 1942 | 12 | #2,204 | 0.01 |
| 1941 | 10 | #2,410 | 0.01 |
| 1940 | 21 | #1,500 | 0.02 |
| 1939 | 22 | #1,438 | 0.02 |
| 1938 | 15 | #1,860 | 0.01 |
| 1937 | 25 | #1,358 | 0.02 |
| 1936 | 17 | #1,686 | 0.02 |
| 1935 | 19 | #1,626 | 0.02 |
| 1934 | 19 | #1,640 | 0.02 |
| 1933 | 23 | #1,430 | 0.02 |
| 1932 | 22 | #1,533 | 0.02 |
| 1931 | 20 | #1,614 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 24 | #1,516 | 0.02 |
| 1929 | 17 | #1,896 | 0.02 |
| 1928 | 36 | #1,202 | 0.03 |
| 1927 | 26 | #1,497 | 0.02 |
| 1926 | 24 | #1,540 | 0.02 |
| 1925 | 30 | #1,347 | 0.03 |
| 1924 | 25 | #1,554 | 0.02 |
| 1923 | 24 | #1,570 | 0.02 |
| 1922 | 32 | #1,296 | 0.03 |
| 1921 | 35 | #1,244 | 0.03 |
| 1920 | 29 | #1,365 | 0.03 |
| 1919 | 47 | #992 | 0.05 |
| 1918 | 35 | #1,187 | 0.03 |
| 1917 | 39 | #1,071 | 0.04 |
| 1916 | 44 | #966 | 0.05 |
| 1915 | 37 | #1,060 | 0.04 |
| 1914 | 33 | #978 | 0.05 |
| 1913 | 19 | #1,191 | 0.04 |
| 1912 | 36 | #719 | 0.08 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,235 | 0.04 |
| 1910 | 9 | #1,164 | 0.05 |
| 1909 | 7 | #1,216 | 0.04 |
| 1908 | 8 | #1,067 | 0.05 |
| 1907 | 10 | #905 | 0.07 |
| 1906 | 9 | #888 | 0.07 |
| 1905 | 5 | #1,329 | 0.04 |
| 1904 | 8 | #926 | 0.06 |
| 1903 | 13 | #637 | 0.11 |
| 1902 | 5 | #1,224 | 0.04 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,131 | 0.05 |
| 1900 | 7 | #1,109 | 0.05 |
| 1899 | 8 | #827 | 0.08 |
| 1898 | 9 | #780 | 0.07 |
| 1897 | 6 | #1,012 | 0.05 |
| 1896 | 12 | #657 | 0.10 |
| 1895 | 7 | #935 | 0.06 |
| 1894 | 13 | #582 | 0.11 |
| 1893 | 18 | #441 | 0.16 |
| 1892 | 15 | #533 | 0.12 |
| 1891 | 9 | #672 | 0.09 |
| 1890 | 11 | #620 | 0.10 |
| 1889 | 14 | #512 | 0.13 |
| 1888 | 16 | #494 | 0.13 |
| 1887 | 15 | #444 | 0.15 |
| 1886 | 21 | #389 | 0.19 |
| 1885 | 17 | #453 | 0.16 |
| 1884 | 22 | #379 | 0.19 |
| 1883 | 14 | #490 | 0.13 |
| 1882 | 24 | #367 | 0.21 |
| 1881 | 24 | #339 | 0.24 |
| 1880 | 26 | #338 | 0.24 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Josiah a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Josiah has been given almost only to boys: 462 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Josiah: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Josiah, and how old are they?
146,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 98% of the 149,420 Americans ever recorded as Josiah. The median Josiah alive today is 12 years old; half are between 7 and 19.
The 2020 Census counted 95,175 people named Josiah (440 women and girls, 94,735 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 113,757 born in the U.S. The Census count is 16% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 58 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 230 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,170 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 10,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 53,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 81,300 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Josiah born?
The states with the most babies named Josiah are Texas, California and Florida, with 36% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 800 | #31 | 1.1× |
| California | 723 | #45 | 1.0× |
| Florida | 452 | #34 | 1.2× |
| Georgia | 268 | #16 | 1.1× |
| New York | 217 | #83 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 207 | #45 | 1.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 183 | #63 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 167 | #67 | 0.9× |
| Virginia | 147 | #53 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 135 | #85 | 0.8× |
Where Josiah is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Josiah is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Josiah with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 153,002 babies since 1880, Josiah is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 5,522 of their 5,614 babies (98%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Josiah
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Josiah and names like it
- Compare Josiah and JosuaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sJosiah peaked in 2017.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Josiah since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Josiah: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2017The year the most babies were named Josiah.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Josiah alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with JMost given first.