Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Joss?
Births per year, rank history and how many Josses are alive today.
Joss (male) is a shortened form of the name Joshua (and sometimes of Josh). Although Joss itself was given to 16 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 1613th as a registered name), most Josses are registered as Joshua, which ranked 53rd in 2025 with 938 babies.
Most people called Joss are registered as Joshua, and share that name's profile: the Joshua you are most likely to meet is around 23 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. Only some Joshuas go by Joss.
How many babies are named Joss or Joshua each year?
Combined registrations of Joshua, Joss. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Joshua rank as a registered name?
Where does Joss rank as a registered name?
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
Is Joss short for Joshua?
Yes - Joss is a shortened form of Joshua. It is also used for Josh. Josses are usually registered as Joshua at birth.
When was the name Joss most popular?
The full name Joshua peaked in 1994, when around 8,300 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Joss itself peaked as a registered name in 1996, with 41 babies.
How many people are called Joss?
There's no official count of people who go by Joss, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 200,000 people registered as Joshua born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Joss.
How old is the typical Joss?
Most people called Joss are registered as Joshua. Most living Joshuas are between 18 and 32; the most common age is about 23.
Is Joss becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1994 peak.