Joshue
Hebrew name meaning "God is salvation" or "God is deliverance".
Name Census estimates that about 1,081 living Americans carry the first name Joshue. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Joshue today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joshue births was 2004 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joshue. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 317,072 Americans
Peak year
2004
45 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,568
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Joshue: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joshue from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 306 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joshue by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Joshue during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Joshues live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Joshue, while Ohio, Florida, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 61 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joshue
The given name Joshue has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh saves." The name can be traced back to ancient times, with its earliest known usage dating back to the biblical period.
Joshue is a variant spelling of the more common English form, Joshua. This name appears prominently in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is borne by Joshua, the successor of Moses and the leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan. The Book of Joshua, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, chronicles the life and accomplishments of this historical figure.
In ancient times, the name Joshue was primarily used among Hebrew and Israelite communities. As the name spread to other parts of the world, it underwent various spelling and pronunciation changes. For example, in Greek, it was rendered as Iēsous, which later influenced the Latin form, Iesus, and eventually the English name Jesus.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joshue can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Hebrew manuscripts dating back to the third century BCE. These scrolls contain numerous references to individuals bearing the name Yehoshua or its variants.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Joshue. One of the most famous is Joshue Barnes (1654-1712), an English scholar and writer who served as a bishop of Norwich and Ely. Another notable individual was Joshue Sylvester (1563-1618), an English poet and translator who is best known for his translation of the French poet Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas' divine poem "La Semaine."
In the realm of religion, Joshue Davidson (1696-1778) was an influential Scottish Presbyterian minister and author, while Joshue Browning (1639-1691) was an English Puritan minister and writer. Additionally, Joshue Pratt (1658-1699) was an English Whig politician who served as a member of parliament.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Joshue throughout history. While the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the name's Hebrew roots and biblical significance have endured, making it a timeless and meaningful choice for parents across various cultures and traditions.
People
Joshue + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joshue as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Joshue: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joshue?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,081 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joshue going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 317,072 US residents.
Is Joshue a common name?
We classify Joshue as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joshue most popular?
The single biggest year for Joshue was 2004, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joshue is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joshue a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Joshue in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.