Male name
Joshua
146,130 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2003. Expression number: 2.
Origin
From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).From Wiktionary, entry “Joshua”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Joshua?
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2003: 8,190 births. 146,130 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 2nd among boys' names in 2002. It is still given: 6,519 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1989: 44,308 births. 1,253,882 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 3rd among boys' names in 2002. It is still given: 25,859 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 2004: 364 births. 6,474 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 17th among boys' names in 2003. It really came into use around 1989. It is still given: 449 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 12,145 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 3,908 | 1980–2025 | 48th in 2002 |
| Switzerland | 3,592* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 1,820 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Berlin | 973 | 2012–2023 | 53rd in 2016 |
| Austria | 820 | 1984–2025 | — |
| Belgium | 234 | 2014–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Statbel, first names of newborns, CC BY 4.0 (one total for the whole period, no yearly breakdown).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
1 + 6 + 1 + 8 + 3 + 1 = 20 → 2
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
6 + 3 + 1 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
1 + 1 + 8 = 10 → 1
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 4, 5, 7, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.