Meaning not yet researched.
Joshua: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 4,773 in 2025. Its best rank was #3 in 2006.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #3 in 2006; #66 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Joshua in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#66 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 2006, at #3.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Joshua: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 4,773 boys in 2025. Peak: #3 in 2006 · most boys in one year: 44,100 (1989).
In 2025, 4,773 US boys were named Joshua, making it the 66th most common boys’ name of the year, down 9 places from #57 in 2024. That is 495 fewer than the 5,268 boys named Joshua in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #3, reached in 2006. The most boys given the name in a single year was 44,100, in 1989. For comparison, it was #33 in 2015 and #537 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Joshua in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 57 babies with the name. In all, 1,253,882 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.6% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1980s, with 399,085 babies named Joshua.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 63,542 US boys were named Joshua; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 9,258. In 2025 that was about 1 in 358 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Joshua ranked highest in Maryland in 2025, at #26 for boys there. It was in the top 100 in 39 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Josh (17,288 babies since 1880) and Joshuah (2,873 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Joshue, Josua and Jushua are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Joe, Jos and Josh.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Joshue (1,118), Josua (773), Jushua (260), Joshoa (97), Joshu (96), Joushua (90), Josuah (36), Joshuia (33), Joshuea (16), Joshoua (10), Joshuaa (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 2 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 129 | #26 | #19 |
| District of Columbia | 22 | #28 | #37 |
| Delaware | 20 | #37 | #27 |
| Florida | 365 | #50 | #25 |
| New Jersey | 168 | #53 | #25 |
| Mississippi | 41 | #53 | #14 |
| Louisiana | 68 | #54 | #18 |
| Georgia | 179 | #54 | #17 |
| South Carolina | 80 | #54 | #20 |
| North Carolina | 188 | #54 | #32 |
| Texas | 596 | #58 | #23 |
| Alabama | 74 | #59 | #27 |
| Virginia | 130 | #61 | #29 |
| Tennessee | 126 | #62 | #23 |
| Massachusetts | 101 | #63 | #37 |
| New York | 258 | #63 | #29 |
| Indiana | 108 | #64 | #35 |
| Idaho | 32 | #65 | #57 |
| Arkansas | 46 | #66 | #31 |
| New Mexico | 26 | #67 | #28 |
| Oklahoma | 57 | #69 | #36 |
| Washington | 100 | #71 | #47 |
| California | 523 | #71 | #32 |
| Missouri | 85 | #72 | #50 |
| Alaska | 11 | #72 | #47 |
| Hawaii | 12 | #73 | #41 |
| Kentucky | 66 | #73 | #45 |
| Ohio | 149 | #76 | #43 |
| Maine | 16 | #78 | #100 |
| Pennsylvania | 155 | #78 | #35 |
| Rhode Island | 13 | #82 | #35 |
| Nevada | 36 | #82 | #40 |
| Illinois | 138 | #83 | #36 |
| Wisconsin | 70 | #84 | #72 |
| Colorado | 76 | #88 | #42 |
| Arizona | 94 | #89 | #42 |
| Montana | 13 | #94 | #53 |
| Connecticut | 38 | #96 | #33 |
| Michigan | 92 | #100 | #45 |
| Kansas | 36 | #103 | #60 |
| Oregon | 35 | #110 | #54 |
| Utah | 45 | #118 | #43 |
| Minnesota | 53 | #121 | #66 |
| Iowa | 33 | #122 | #92 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | #124 | #31 |
| Nebraska | 21 | #130 | #60 |
| South Dakota | 10 | #134 | #89 |
| North Dakota | 8 | #164 | #56 |
| West Virginia | 11 | #175 | #50 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 4,773 | #66 |
| 2024 | 8 | #11,590 | 5,268 | #57 |
| 2023 | 6 | #14,219 | 5,070 | #60 |
| 2022 | 6 | #14,381 | 5,197 | #60 |
| 2021 | — | — | 5,531 | #58 |
| 2020 | 9 | #10,660 | 6,015 | #53 |
| 2019 | 10 | #10,082 | 6,631 | #48 |
| 2018 | — | — | 7,446 | #40 |
| 2017 | 12 | #9,033 | 8,353 | #38 |
| 2016 | 18 | #6,768 | 9,258 | #35 |
| 2015 | 18 | #6,847 | 9,850 | #33 |
| 2014 | 16 | #7,466 | 10,929 | #25 |
| 2013 | 13 | #8,792 | 11,861 | #21 |
| 2012 | 18 | #6,992 | 12,681 | #17 |
| 2011 | 25 | #5,448 | 13,797 | #14 |
| 2010 | 13 | #8,950 | 15,467 | #11 |
| 2009 | 24 | #5,789 | 17,671 | #6 |
| 2008 | 25 | #5,645 | 19,231 | #4 |
| 2007 | 39 | #4,014 | 20,669 | #4 |
| 2006 | 31 | #4,626 | 22,336 | #3 |
| 2005 | 43 | #3,479 | 23,261 | #3 |
| 2004 | 120 | #1,624 | 24,214 | #3 |
| 2003 | 45 | #3,261 | 25,106 | #3 |
| 2002 | 46 | #3,116 | 25,998 | #3 |
| 2001 | 48 | #2,984 | 26,024 | #4 |
| 2000 | 54 | #2,724 | 27,543 | #4 |
| 1999 | 62 | #2,383 | 27,265 | #4 |
| 1998 | 51 | #2,673 | 28,095 | #4 |
| 1997 | 61 | #2,245 | 28,289 | #5 |
| 1996 | 75 | #1,923 | 29,175 | #5 |
| 1995 | 62 | #2,169 | 30,720 | #5 |
| 1994 | 77 | #1,846 | 31,374 | #4 |
| 1993 | 114 | #1,421 | 33,590 | #4 |
| 1992 | 122 | #1,364 | 36,221 | #4 |
| 1991 | 141 | #1,223 | 41,226 | #4 |
| 1990 | 166 | #1,068 | 43,237 | #4 |
| 1989 | 208 | #885 | 44,100 | #4 |
| 1988 | 297 | #654 | 42,653 | #4 |
| 1987 | 272 | #679 | 40,002 | #4 |
| 1986 | 307 | #617 | 37,542 | #4 |
| 1985 | 276 | #658 | 42,194 | #4 |
| 1984 | 266 | #655 | 40,266 | #4 |
| 1983 | 232 | #718 | 36,687 | #5 |
| 1982 | 241 | #721 | 38,004 | #7 |
| 1981 | 240 | #702 | 39,024 | #6 |
| 1980 | 222 | #748 | 36,052 | #7 |
| 1979 | 211 | #763 | 31,120 | #9 |
| 1978 | 141 | #982 | 25,204 | #12 |
| 1977 | 113 | #1,130 | 22,068 | #14 |
| 1976 | 95 | #1,198 | 16,845 | #18 |
| 1975 | 92 | #1,243 | 14,567 | #26 |
| 1974 | 63 | #1,537 | 11,599 | #29 |
| 1973 | 38 | #2,104 | 8,057 | #42 |
| 1972 | 21 | #3,111 | 5,033 | #59 |
| 1971 | 17 | #3,714 | 3,650 | #80 |
| 1970 | 10 | #5,206 | 2,175 | #150 |
| 1969 | 8 | #5,667 | 1,321 | #197 |
| 1968 | 5 | #7,496 | 731 | #271 |
| 1967 | — | — | 563 | #314 |
| 1966 | — | — | 486 | #340 |
| 1965 | — | — | 461 | #352 |
| 1964 | — | — | 389 | #409 |
| 1963 | — | — | 372 | #417 |
| 1962 | — | — | 335 | #436 |
| 1961 | — | — | 354 | #423 |
| 1960 | — | — | 314 | #455 |
| 1959 | — | — | 328 | #441 |
| 1958 | — | — | 276 | #477 |
| 1957 | — | — | 273 | #468 |
| 1956 | — | — | 239 | #491 |
| 1955 | — | — | 245 | #471 |
| 1954 | — | — | 193 | #524 |
| 1953 | — | — | 164 | #552 |
| 1952 | — | — | 178 | #526 |
| 1951 | — | — | 165 | #530 |
| 1950 | — | — | 160 | #537 |
| 1949 | — | — | 183 | #491 |
| 1948 | — | — | 129 | #590 |
| 1947 | — | — | 141 | #570 |
| 1946 | — | — | 113 | #608 |
| 1945 | — | — | 97 | #615 |
| 1944 | — | — | 104 | #602 |
| 1943 | — | — | 95 | #659 |
| 1942 | — | — | 111 | #596 |
| 1941 | — | — | 93 | #633 |
| 1940 | — | — | 90 | #628 |
| 1939 | — | — | 101 | #571 |
| 1938 | — | — | 71 | #727 |
| 1937 | — | — | 92 | #608 |
| 1936 | — | — | 101 | #575 |
| 1935 | — | — | 80 | #666 |
| 1934 | — | — | 106 | #575 |
| 1933 | — | — | 102 | #571 |
| 1932 | — | — | 111 | #562 |
| 1931 | — | — | 94 | #614 |
| 1930 | — | — | 90 | #647 |
| 1929 | — | — | 74 | #731 |
| 1928 | — | — | 118 | #563 |
| 1927 | — | — | 117 | #572 |
| 1926 | — | — | 105 | #613 |
| 1925 | — | — | 109 | #606 |
| 1924 | — | — | 114 | #596 |
| 1923 | — | — | 129 | #541 |
| 1922 | — | — | 124 | #572 |
| 1921 | — | — | 125 | #564 |
| 1920 | — | — | 128 | #544 |
| 1919 | — | — | 139 | #506 |
| 1918 | — | — | 118 | #553 |
| 1917 | — | — | 122 | #523 |
| 1916 | — | — | 99 | #584 |
| 1915 | — | — | 136 | #473 |
| 1914 | — | — | 87 | #530 |
| 1913 | — | — | 78 | #492 |
| 1912 | — | — | 60 | #508 |
| 1911 | — | — | 43 | #449 |
| 1910 | — | — | 44 | #401 |
| 1909 | — | — | 28 | #493 |
| 1908 | — | — | 29 | #460 |
| 1907 | — | — | 26 | #460 |
| 1906 | — | — | 27 | #427 |
| 1905 | — | — | 18 | #557 |
| 1904 | — | — | 19 | #502 |
| 1903 | — | — | 21 | #459 |
| 1902 | — | — | 17 | #530 |
| 1901 | — | — | 22 | #400 |
| 1900 | — | — | 36 | #371 |
| 1899 | — | — | 24 | #380 |
| 1898 | — | — | 39 | #299 |
| 1897 | — | — | 29 | #348 |
| 1896 | — | — | 30 | #354 |
| 1895 | — | — | 29 | #343 |
| 1894 | — | — | 24 | #383 |
| 1893 | — | — | 23 | #377 |
| 1892 | — | — | 41 | #285 |
| 1891 | — | — | 24 | #354 |
| 1890 | — | — | 24 | #365 |
| 1889 | — | — | 33 | #300 |
| 1888 | — | — | 50 | #247 |
| 1887 | — | — | 41 | #247 |
| 1886 | — | — | 55 | #229 |
| 1885 | — | — | 43 | #254 |
| 1884 | — | — | 41 | #266 |
| 1883 | — | — | 55 | #202 |
| 1882 | — | — | 50 | #236 |
| 1881 | — | — | 40 | #249 |
| 1880 | — | — | 57 | #212 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).