BabyNameScore

Joshua

JAHSH·oo·uh · Hebrew, from the Old Testament name Yehoshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ). · 3 syllables

Joshua is comfortably familiar.

87/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Clear, with one common misreading

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    Shortens naturally in everyday use, with two established short forms.

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

NAME DETAILS

COMMON FORMS
Josh
Joshy
CLOSE SPELLINGS
Joshuah
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
Josué
Giosuè
Jozue
Yehoshua/Yehoshuah
ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

In the Hebrew Bible, Joshua was originally named Hoshea ("salvation"/"he saves"); Numbers 13:16 records that Moses renamed him Yehoshua, adding the divine-name element to the root so the name became "the Lord is salvation." He appears as Moses's aide, one of the twelve scouts sent into Canaan, and — after Moses's death — the Israelites' military and political leader in the Book of Joshua. The compound theophoric structure (divine-name element + "salvation" root) is well established by Hebrew philology and is not seriously disputed among sources consulted; nuance exists only in exact English phrasing ("the Lord is salvation" vs. "the Lord saves").

  1. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua / Yehoshuaʿ). "The Lord/Yahweh is salvation" — from Yeho- (a shortened form of the divine name YHWH) plus a form of the Hebrew root יש"ע (y-sh-ʿ), "to save/deliver." Modern historians and archaeologists broadly do not treat the Book of Joshua's account of a swift, unified military conquest of Canaan as straightforward history; many instead propose a more gradual settlement process, which is a live scholarly debate distinct from the name's devotional and literary significance.
  2. Mythological and religious contextJoshua succeeds Moses as leader of Israel by divine appointment (Numbers 27:18-23) and leads the Battle of Jericho, where the city walls are said to fall after the Israelites march around it for seven days per God's instruction (Joshua 6). Etymologically and theologically significant: both "Joshua" and "Jesus" descend from the same Hebrew form, Yehoshua/Yeshua — Joshua is the full Hebrew form rendered into English, while "Jesus" comes via Greek Iesous, a transliteration of the shortened Aramaic/Hebrew Yeshua current in the Second Temple period. This is a genuine, verifiable etymological connection, not a coincidental sound-alike.
POPULARITY

Joshua over time

United States
#66RANK

Rank #66 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Recognizable without feeling automatic. Ranked #66 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

JAHSH·oo·uh

STRESS ON THE FIRST SYLLABLE

COMMON FORMS
  • Josh
  • Joshy
CLOSE SPELLINGS
  • Joshuah
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS
  • JosuéES/FR
  • GiosuèIT
  • JozuePL
  • Yehoshua/YehoshuahHE
PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Reads as an easy, friendly name for a child, largely carried by its common nickname "Josh."

INTO ADULTHOOD

Transitions cleanly into adulthood and professional contexts; "Joshua" itself already reads as formal enough for full legal/professional use without needing a separate formal form.

Cultural Footprint

Joshua has been a mainstay of English-speaking Christian naming practice since Puritan/Reformation-era enthusiasm for Old Testament names, and remains one of the most consistently used biblical boys' names in the US, UK, and other Anglophone countries into the 21st century.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN
  1. Joshuabiblical successor of Moses
  2. Anthony JoshuaBritish boxer
  3. The Joshua TreeU2 album, 1987

Community Impressions

Joshua reads as steady, biblically weighted, and quietly heroic — it carries the specific story of Moses's chosen successor who led the conquest of Canaan, and it shares its Hebrew root with the name Jesus, a genuine etymological link most other biblical names don't have. Decades of sustained popularity in the US mean it lands as familiar and safe rather than distinctive, and its near-universal nickname "Josh" gives it an easy, informal everyday register.

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

More about Joshua

HISTORICAL USE

Modern historians and archaeologists broadly do not treat the Book of Joshua's account of a swift, unified military conquest of Canaan as straightforward history; many instead propose a more gradual settlement process, which is a live scholarly debate distinct from the name's devotional and literary significance.

FORMALITY

The full name "Joshua" functions as the formal register while "Josh" is the near-universal informal register, giving parents a built-in two-tier name.

Names around it

Jesus
EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Joshua is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

English speakers will most likely pronounce it correctly on the first try. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Joshua