Josh
MeaningGod is salvation · English form of Joshua
- US rank
- #1,699
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #299 in 1880
96 babies were named Josh in the US in 2025. It has dropped 20 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Josh you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Josh
Josh Duhamel
American actor and former model
Choose Josh and your child shares a first name with Josh Duhamel, an American actor and former model. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Josh, like who?” Josh Duhamel's Wikipedia article is available in 117 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Josh Duhamel on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 17,794 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Josh, 96 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Josh would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryJosh has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Joshs, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #299. Today it's #1,699, so it could be due a comeback.
- TrendJosh has slipped 20 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,699. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedJosh is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #789, followed by New Jersey (#829) and Florida (#846). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
- MeaningJosh is an English form of Joshua, which means “God is salvation”. Our records link it to English and Hebrew roots.
About the name Josh
Josh is a boy name of English and Hebrew origin meaning “God is salvation”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with J and ending in “-osh”. US birth records list Josh for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #299 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,699, with 96 babies.
Origin:English namesHebrew names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 214 | 4,680 boys |
| 1890s | 183 | 5,464 boys |
| 1900s | 144 | 6,932 boys |
| 1910s | 72 | 13,926 boys |
| 1920s | 40 | 25,100 boys |
| 1930s | 33 | 30,294 boys |
| 1940s | 24 | 41,203 boys |
| 1950s | 29 | 34,211 boys |
| 1960s | 64 | 15,748 boys |
| 1970s | 245 | 4,081 boys |
| 1980s | 154 | 6,506 boys |
| 1990s | 94 | 10,667 boys |
| 2000s | 133 | 7,525 boys |
| 2010s | 75 | 13,284 boys |
| 2020s | 55 | 18,248 boys |
Other spellings of Josh
More English boy names
- Boy name: Oliver · olive tree
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
Questions about the name Josh
What does the name Josh mean?
Josh means “God is salvation” in English, as a form of Joshua.
What is the origin of the name Josh?
Josh has English, Hebrew roots in our records. Other English names include Oliver, Henry, James.
Is Josh a boy or girl name?
Josh is a boy name.
How popular is the name Josh?
Josh ranked #1,699 for US boys in 2025, given to 96 babies. Its best year was 1880 (#299).