The surname Joshua
An Aramaic patronymic surname, carried by 3,403 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/ 3 syllables Soundex J200 Also a first name
Origin
Aramaic origin
From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).
Joshua is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 3,403 people named Joshua in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 90,727 Americans. That is up 19% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,852.
Who is named Joshua
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
57% of people named Joshua identified as Black (not Hispanic), 23% as white (not Hispanic) and 8.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
- Black (not Hispanic) 57%
- White (not Hispanic) 23%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 8.0%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 5.1%
- Two or more races 4.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 2.6%
Famous Joshuas
1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Anthony JoshuaBritish boxer (born 1989)
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Variant spellings
- Josue
Joshua has the Soundex code J200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J200.
Questions
- Where does the surname Joshua come from?
- From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic…
- How common is the surname Joshua?
- 3,403 people in the United States had the surname Joshua in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 90,727 Americans. It ranked 9,552nd of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Joshua?
- In the 2010 Census, 57% of people named Joshua identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 23% as white (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Joshua?
- Anthony Joshua, British boxer (born 1989).
- Where is the surname Joshua most common?
- Wikidata records people named Joshua in the United Kingdom.
- How do you pronounce Joshua?
- Joshua is /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/, 3 syllables.
- What type of surname is Joshua?
- Joshua is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Joshua getting more or less common?
- More common. 2,852 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,403 in 2010, up 19%.
- What are other spellings of Joshua?
- Josue.
- Is Joshua also a first name?
- Yes. Joshua is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.