Jossiah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is salvation".
Name Census estimates that about 307 living Americans carry the first name Jossiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jossiah today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jossiah births was 2018 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jossiah. 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
307
~ 1 in 1,116,464 Americans
Peak year
2018
31 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,007
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Jossiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jossiah 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 196 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jossiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jossiah 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 Jossiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jossiahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, Ohio, Texas recorded the most babies named Jossiah, while Texas, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jossiah
The name Jossiah is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshiah, which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh is my help". It originated in ancient Israel during the biblical period, around the 8th century BCE. The name is closely related to the more common biblical name Josiah, with a slight variation in spelling.
Jossiah is mentioned in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Ezra. Ezra 8:33 mentions a man named Jossiah, who was one of the Levites who helped oversee the return of exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. This reference dates back to the 5th century BCE, during the Persian period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jossiah can be found in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who lived in the 1st century CE. He mentions a man named Jossiah who was a high priest in Jerusalem during the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Jossiah. For example, Jossiah Hort (1828-1892) was an English theologian and biblical scholar who played a significant role in the development of modern textual criticism of the New Testament.
Another prominent figure was Jossiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), an English potter and entrepreneur who founded the Wedgwood company and played a crucial role in the industrialization of the pottery industry. His contributions to the field of ceramics earned him recognition as a pioneer of modern marketing techniques.
In the 17th century, Jossiah Franklin (1657-1712) was an English immigrant to America who worked as a blacksmith and became one of the founders of Boston. He was also the father of Benjamin Franklin, one of the most influential figures in American history.
Jossiah Bartlett (1729-1795) was an American physician and statesman who signed the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Hampshire. He also served as the state's governor and as a member of the Continental Congress.
Lastly, Jossiah Royce (1855-1916) was an American philosopher and one of the founders of American idealism. He is known for his work on the concept of loyalty and his contributions to the field of metaphysics.
People
Jossiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jossiah 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
Jossiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jossiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 307 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jossiah 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 1,116,464 US residents.
Is Jossiah a common name?
We classify Jossiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 309 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jossiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jossiah was 2018, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jossiah is about 10 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 Jossiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jossiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jossiah 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 Jossiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jossiah 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 Jossiah 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 Americans are named Jossiah?
Want to know how many people share the name Jossiah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.