Josiaah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God will support" or "fire of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Josiaah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josiaah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josiaah births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josiaah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Josiaah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,091
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Josiaah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Josiaah 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 Josiaah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Josiaah
The name Josiaah has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, originating in ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yoshiyahu, which means "supported by Yahweh" or "established by God."
The name Josiaah first appears in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament. It was the name of a king of Judah who reigned from around 640 to 609 BCE. King Josiaah is remembered for his efforts to restore the worship of Yahweh and his reforms aimed at eliminating idolatry and pagan practices from the kingdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josiaah can be found in the Book of Kings, where it is mentioned that King Josiaah's reign began when he was eight years old. The Book of Chronicles also provides details about his life and accomplishments, including the repair of the Temple in Jerusalem and the rediscovery of the Book of the Law.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Josiaah. One of the most famous was Josiaah Wedgwood, an English potter and entrepreneur who lived from 1730 to 1795. He is credited with founding the Wedgwood company and pioneering the industrialization of pottery production.
Another prominent figure named Josiaah was Josiaah Willard Gibbs, an American scientist and mathematician who lived from 1839 to 1903. He made significant contributions to the field of thermodynamics and is considered one of the founders of modern statistical mechanics.
In the realm of literature, Josiaah Quincy was an American writer and historian who lived from 1772 to 1864. He served as the President of Harvard University and wrote several influential works on the history of Massachusetts and the American Revolution.
Josiaah Royce, an American philosopher and writer, lived from 1855 to 1916. He was a prominent figure in the development of American pragmatism and is best known for his work "The Problem of Christianity," which explored the relationship between religion and philosophy.
Josiaah Bartlett, born in 1729 and died in 1795, was a prominent American physician and statesman. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and served as the fourth Governor of New Hampshire.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Josiaah throughout history, highlighting its rich heritage and enduring influence across various fields and cultures.
People
Josiaah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josiaah 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
Josiaah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josiaah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josiaah 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Josiaah a common name?
We classify Josiaah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josiaah most popular?
The single biggest year for Josiaah was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josiaah is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Josiaah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josiaah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josiaah 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.
Is Josiaah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josiaah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Josiaah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Josiaah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Josiaah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.