ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1979 Peak Year #299 Peak Rank 17K Total Count 147 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Josh What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 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: Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## 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. The name hit its high-water mark in 1979: 531 births, good for #339 nationwide. The 1970s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Joshs. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,794 among baby boy names 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 ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Josh Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Josh. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Joshua](/joshua) 🎶 ## 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](/jash) * Jish * Jaj * Jeush * Jauch * Jouy * Giai * [Judge](/judge) * Jar * Jot * Juge Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Josh What does the name Josh mean? 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: What is the origin of the name Josh? Josh has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. 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. What are nicknames or variants of Josh? Common variants and related forms of Josh include Joshua. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👦JudsonPeak #299](/judson)[👦CoyPeak #299](/coy)[👦SanfordPeak #298](/sanford)[👦FredericPeak #298](/frederic)[👦PhilPeak #300](/phil)[👦OrionPeak #300](/orion)[👦PasqualePeak #300](/pasquale)[👦BakerPeak #298](/baker) Advertisement ## 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 * [ Top names of 1979 → ](/year/1979) * [ Names of the 1970s → ](/decade/1970s) * [ Names starting with "J" → ](/letter/j) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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. Advertisement