Josyah
Hebrew masculine name meaning "God will support" or "God will heal".
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the first name Josyah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Josyah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josyah births was 2020 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josyah. 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
466
~ 1 in 735,524 Americans
Peak year
2020
40 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,001
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Josyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josyah 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 267 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Josyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josyah 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 Josyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Josyah, while North Carolina, Georgia, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josyah
The name Josyah is derived from the Hebrew name Yoshiyahu, which means "founded by God" or "Yahweh is salvation." It is a variant spelling of the more common name Joshua or Josiah. The name has its origins in ancient Israel, dating back to the 7th century BC.
One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Josiah, a king of Judah who ruled from 640 to 609 BC. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a religious reformer who restored the worship of Yahweh and repaired the Temple in Jerusalem. His reign is recorded in the books of Kings and Chronicles.
During the Middle Ages, the name was relatively uncommon in Europe, but it gained popularity among Puritans in England and later in the American colonies. One notable bearer of the name was Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), the father of Benjamin Franklin, who was a tallow chandler and immigrant from England to Boston.
In the 18th century, Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was an influential English potter and entrepreneur who founded the Wedgwood company and is credited with industrializing the manufacture of pottery. Another significant figure was Josiah Quincy Jr. (1744-1775), a prominent American patriot and lawyer who was a leading voice for the American Revolution.
During the 19th century, Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839-1903) was an American scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern statistical mechanics and chemical thermodynamics.
In the 20th century, Josyah Nakulira (1901-1971) was a Ugandan teacher and politician who played a crucial role in the formation of the Uganda National Congress, a political party that advocated for independence from British colonial rule.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Josyah or its variants. While the name has ancient roots in Hebrew tradition, it has been adopted and adapted across different cultures and time periods, reflecting its enduring appeal and significance.
People
Josyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josyah 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
Josyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 466 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josyah 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 735,524 US residents.
Is Josyah a common name?
We classify Josyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 470 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Josyah was 2020, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josyah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josyah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josyah 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.