Boys' name · peaked in 1985
Joshua name popularity since 1925
1,251,341 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Joshua. Half of them were born in 1991 or earlier, so the typical Joshua is about 35 years old in 2026. Joshua peaked in 1985 as the #4 name for boys, and it ranked #66 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 1,251,341
- Named Joshua, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #66
- for boys in 2025 (4,773 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 4,953 girls · 1,246,388 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.75× its national share
Peak year is the year Joshua made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Joshua births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1989. Measured as a share of all babies, Joshua peaked in 1985.
- Fastest rise: Between 1968 and 1973, Joshua became 12× more common, from 1 in 2,380 baby boys to 1 in 193.
- Steepest fall: Between 2010 and 2015, its share of baby boys fell by 36%, from 1 in 124 to 1 in 195.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Joshua's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Joshua.
Decade by decade
Babies named Joshua in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 523 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 948 | #666 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,156 | #615 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,221 | #471 |
| 1960s | 13 | 5,326 | #352 |
| 1970s | 801 | 140,318 | #26 |
| 1980s | 2,561 | 396,524 | #4 |
| 1990s | 931 | 329,192 | #5 |
| 2000s | 475 | 232,053 | #3 |
| 2010s | 143 | 106,273 | #33 |
| 2020–25 | 29 | 31,854 | #66 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
48.7% of babies named Joshua from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Joshua is most popular
The index compares Joshua's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Joshua.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.75× | 3,276 |
| Nevada | 1.57× | 7,060 |
| Wyoming | 1.49× | 2,541 |
| New Hampshire | 1.44× | 5,728 |
| Utah | 1.38× | 14,788 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Joshua and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua (this page) | 1,246,388 | 1985 |
| Joshuah | 2,873 | 1989 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Joshua's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Joshua.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Joshua (1985).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data