Josphua
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is salvation".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Josphua. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josphua today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josphua births was 1987 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josphua. 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 Josphua. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1987
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1987 SSA rank
#7,540
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Josphua: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Josphua 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 Josphua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Josphua
The name Josphua is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh is deliverance." The name can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it refers to the figure of Joshua, the successor of Moses who led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
The earliest recorded use of the name Josphua dates back to the 15th century BCE, when it appears in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. The name was initially spelled as Yehoshua or Yehoshu'a, but over time it underwent various spelling variations, including Iesous in Greek, Iosua in Latin, and eventually Joshua or Josphua in English.
One of the most famous historical figures named Josphua is Joshua, the Biblical figure mentioned earlier. He is celebrated for his leadership and military prowess in conquering the land of Canaan and establishing the Israelites in their new homeland. His story is recounted in the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.
Another notable figure named Josphua was Josué Calvo de Oropesa (c. 1600-1676), a Spanish theologian and philosopher who is known for his work on the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and his defense of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas.
In the 18th century, Josphua Barnes (1654-1712) was an English scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on the history and antiquities of the Bible. He is particularly known for his edition of the works of Euripides and his commentary on the Book of Job.
Josphua Reynolds (1723-1792) was a renowned English painter who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of British art and is famous for his portraits of notable figures of the time.
Josphua Chamberlain (1828-1914) was an American soldier and politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Maine and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the American Civil War. He is also known for his involvement in the negotiations that led to the surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox Court House in 1865.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Josphua, highlighting its rich cultural and historical significance across various fields and time periods.
People
Josphua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josphua 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
Josphua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josphua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josphua 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 Josphua a common name?
We classify Josphua 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 Josphua most popular?
The single biggest year for Josphua was 1987, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josphua is about 38 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 Josphua in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Josphua a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josphua 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 Josphua still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Josphua 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 Josphua 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 common is the name Josphua?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.