Josiyah
A Hebrew name meaning "Jehovah heals" or "fire of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 729 living Americans carry the first name Josiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josiyah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josiyah births was 2017 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josiyah. 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
729
~ 1 in 470,171 Americans
Peak year
2017
60 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,722
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Josiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josiyah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 427 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Josiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josiyah 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 Josiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josiyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Josiyah, while New York, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josiyah
The name Josiyah is derived from the Hebrew name Yoshiyyahu, which means "supported by Yahweh" or "Yahweh supports." This name has its origins in ancient Israel and was particularly popular among Jews during the biblical period.
The name Josiyah is closely associated with the figure of King Josiah, who ruled the Kingdom of Judah from around 649 to 609 BCE. King Josiah is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and is remembered for his religious reforms, which included the centralization of worship in Jerusalem and the destruction of pagan shrines and idols.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Josiyah can be found in the Book of Kings, where it refers to King Josiah himself. The name is also mentioned in various other biblical texts, such as the Book of Chronicles and the Book of Jeremiah.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Josiyah. One of the most famous was Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), the English potter and entrepreneur who founded the Wedgwood company and is credited with the industrialization of the production of pottery.
Another prominent figure was Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839-1903), an American scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of thermodynamics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work laid the foundation for the field of physical chemistry.
In the 17th century, Josiah Franklin (1657-1738), the father of Benjamin Franklin, was a prominent figure in colonial America. He was a candlemaker and lived in Boston, Massachusetts.
Josiah Quincy (1709-1784) was an American politician and a prominent member of the Massachusetts colonial government. He played a significant role in the events leading up to the American Revolution and was known for his opposition to British rule.
Josiah Royce (1855-1916) was an American philosopher who made important contributions to the field of idealism and is considered one of the founders of American philosophy.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Josiyah, a name that has its roots in ancient Hebrew and is closely tied to religious and historical significance.
People
Josiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josiyah 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
Josiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 729 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josiyah 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 470,171 US residents.
Is Josiyah a common name?
We classify Josiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 735 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Josiyah was 2017, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josiyah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josiyah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josiyah 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.