Names like Joshua
In 2025, 4,773 boys born in the US were named Joshua, #66 among boys' names.
It has been in the top 1,000 every year since records begin in 1880, and in the top 100 in 55 of those 146 years.
Its best rank was #3, every year from 2002 to 2006.
The most births in one year were 44,100, in 1989.
Births fell 52% from 9,850 in 2015.
8 of the 12 names below have also been in the top 1,000 every year since 1880.
Joshua's rank every ten years
- 1880#209
- 1890#355
- 1900#363
- 1910#394
- 1920#532
- 1930#630
- 1940#610
- 1950#531
- 1960#452
- 1970#149
- 1980#7
- 1990#4
- 2000#4
- 2010#11
- 2020#53
- 2025#66
12 boy names with a similar curve
| Name | Rank in 2025 | Births in 2025 | In the top 1,000 every year since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher | #68 | 4,748 | 1880 |
| Ryan | #99 | 3,532 | 1946 |
| Matthew | #32 | 7,003 | 1880 |
| Christian | #96 | 3,641 | 1880 |
| Jonathan | #89 | 3,822 | 1880 |
| Nicholas | #112 | 3,115 | 1880 |
| Justin | #233 | 1,512 | 1888 |
| Gabriel | #37 | 6,569 | 1880 |
| Brandon | #261 | 1,326 | 1950 |
| Tyler | #219 | 1,633 | 1944 |
| Nathan | #63 | 4,975 | 1880 |
| Andrew | #73 | 4,497 | 1880 |
How this list was made
We compared Joshua's rank in every year from 1880 to 2025 with every other boy's name in the 2025 top 1,000 (US Social Security birth records); the closest curves come first. Years outside the top 1,000 count the same however far outside, years since 1995 count four times as much, and each name appears in one spelling.