Josha
The Story of Josha
As a girl name
American parents first put Josha on the record books as a girl name in 1976, with 9 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1976, when 9 Joshas were born — ranking #6,048 that year. About 43% of every Josha on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Josha last appeared in the published SSA data in 1991, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 28 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Josha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1971, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1982: 27 births, good for #2,000 nationwide. About 49% of every Josha on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Josha last appeared in the published SSA data in 2005, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 426 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Josha
Phonetically similar names — useful when Josha is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Josha
What does the name Josha mean?
How popular is Josha in 2026?
When was Josha most popular?
In which U.S. states is Josha most popular?
Is Josha a unisex name?
What names go well with Josha?
About the name Josha
Josha is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1971 and has accumulated 426 births in the dataset. Josha's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #2,000. Use the chart and map above to compare Josha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1982 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.