Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Joshua?
Births per year, rank history and how many Joshuas are alive today.
Joshua (male) is currently the 50th most popular boys' name in England and Wales, with 1,027 babies given the name in 2024. The name peaked in 1994, when around 8,300 babies were given the name, the 7th most popular that year. It was almost as popular in 2003, with 8,190 babies given the name that year. It has declined since 1994; the 2024 figure is roughly 12% of its peak. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 150,000 babies have been named Joshua in England and Wales since 1984. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of Joshua include Josh and Joss.
The Joshua you are most likely to meet is around 31 years old. Half of all Joshuas born in England and Wales are between 18 and 32, and there are at least 200,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 48% chance that at least one of them will be called Joshua.
How many babies are named Joshua each year?
Where does Joshua rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Joshua most popular?
Joshua peaked in 1994, when around 8,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called Joshua?
At least 200,000 people named Joshua born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Joshua?
Most living Joshuas are between 18 and 32; the most common age is about 31.
Is Joshua becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1994 peak.