Boy · #1,794 in 2026

Josh

Name: Popularity of the name Josh in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Josh, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Josh is a masculine given name. It is frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given name Joshua and historically a diminutive of Josiah but has been used independently as a given name. The diminutive has been in use since the 19th century. It may refer to:

Current Rank

#1,794

Peak Rank

#299 (1979)

Total Babies

17K

5-Yr Trend

-14%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1979

Peak Year

#299

Peak Rank

17K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Josh

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Josh

Josh first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 31 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1979, when 531 Joshs were born — ranking #339 that year. As of 2026, Josh ranks #1,794 for baby boys with 92 births, gradually falling (-14%). In total, more than 17K Joshs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Josh

Phonetically similar names — useful when Josh is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Gish
Jash
Jish
Jaj
Jeush
Jauch
Jouy
Giai
Judge
Jar
Jot
Juge

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Josh

What does the name Josh mean?

How popular is Josh in 2026?

In 2026, Josh ranks #1,794 among boys' names in the U.S., with 92 babies given the name that year.

When was Josh most popular?

Josh reached its peak popularity in 1979, ranking #299 that year with 531 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Josh most popular?

Josh has historically been most popular in Florida, North Dakota, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Josh.

Is Josh a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Josh is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Josh?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Josh include Judson, Coy, Sanford. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Josh

Josh is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 17K births in the dataset. Josh's peak popularity came in 1979 when it ranked #299. Use the chart and map above to compare Josh's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.