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Josh

“Variant of Joshua — Yahweh is salvation” — Hebrew origin

Boy's name · #1699 in the US (2025) · Retro

Josh has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #299 (1880) · 17,288 babies named Josh all-time · 1 in 17,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 950 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 980 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 2,800 boys in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 6 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Joshes

• Josh Duhamel — American actor and former model
• Josh Hutcherson — American actor
• Josh Brolin — American actor (born 1968)
• Josh Hartnett — American actor and producer
• Josh Radnor — American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

In stories & tradition

• Josh Lyman — The West Wing
• Josh Barrett — Home and Away
• Josh Willis — Neighbours

What Joshes become

Among 2,527 notable people named Josh:

Athletes appear 2.98× more often than among typical names — e.g. Josh McEachran, English association football player.

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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