# Josiah (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/josiah/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒoʊˈzaɪə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Josias |
| US babies named this | 149,420 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 148,958 / 462 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 4,204, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew יֹאשִׁיָּה (yōšiyyā), יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (yōšiyyā́hū).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 7,255 |
| 2012 | 18 | 6,993 |
| 2013 | 15 | 7,954 |
| 2014 | 10 | 10,513 |
| 2015 | 15 | 7,785 |
| 2016 | 14 | 8,183 |
| 2017 | 13 | 8,522 |
| 2018 | 17 | 6,933 |
| 2019 | 21 | 5,881 |
| 2020 | 17 | 6,763 |
| 2021 | 11 | 9,230 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10,025 |
| 2023 | 5 | 16,273 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10,650 |
| 2025 | 13 | 8,083 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5,274 | 80 |
| 2012 | 5,538 | 79 |
| 2013 | 6,316 | 69 |
| 2014 | 6,482 | 64 |
| 2015 | 6,677 | 57 |
| 2016 | 7,025 | 55 |
| 2017 | 7,079 | 51 |
| 2018 | 6,684 | 52 |
| 2019 | 6,847 | 45 |
| 2020 | 6,164 | 49 |
| 2021 | 6,157 | 49 |
| 2022 | 5,838 | 51 |
| 2023 | 5,445 | 53 |
| 2024 | 5,486 | 53 |
| 2025 | 5,509 | 54 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 144 | 313 |
| 2012 | 160 | 288 |
| 2013 | 176 | 272 |
| 2014 | 159 | 291 |
| 2015 | 185 | 275 |
| 2016 | 181 | 280 |
| 2017 | 227 | 237 |
| 2018 | 238 | 219 |
| 2019 | 196 | 252 |
| 2020 | 191 | 248 |
| 2021 | 214 | 234 |
| 2022 | 199 | 240 |
| 2023 | 198 | 242 |
| 2024 | 234 | 212 |
| 2025 | 220 | 226 |

## In other languages

- Spanish: Josías

## People named Josiah

- Josiah Willard Gibbs, American scientist (1839–1903)
- Josiah Wedgwood, English potter and founder of the Wedgwood company (1730–1795)
- Josiah Royce, American philosopher (1855–1916)
- Josiah Warren, American social reformer, philosopher, inventor, musician, and author (1798–1874)
- Josiah Bartlett, American physician and judge, signatory of the Declaration of Independence (1729–1795)
- Josiah McCracken, American football player, athlete and professor of medicine (1874-1962)
- Josiah Conder, British architect (1852-1920)
- Josiah Latimer Clark, British electrical engineer (1822–1898)
- Josiah Whitney, American geologist (1819–1896)
- Sir Josiah Child, 1st Baronet, English merchant and politician (1630-1699)
- Josiah Harlan, American mercenary and prince (1799–1871)
- Josiah O. Wolcott, American politician and jurist (1877-1938)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.