Oshua
A masculine name derived from the Biblical name Joshua, meaning "God is salvation" or "Yahweh is salvation".
Name Census estimates that about 91 living Americans carry the first name Oshua. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oshua today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oshua births was 1986 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oshua. 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 Oshua. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
91
~ 1 in 3,766,531 Americans
Peak year
1986
14 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1989 SSA rank
#6,066
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Oshua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oshua from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 82 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oshua 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 Oshua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oshua
The given name Oshua is of ancient Hebrew origin, with its roots traced back to the Old Testament. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the popular biblical name Joshua, derived from the Hebrew words "Yah" (meaning "God") and "hoshia" (meaning "to save" or "to deliver").
The earliest recorded instance of the name Oshua can be found in the Book of Numbers, where it is mentioned as the name of Moses' successor, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan after their exodus from Egypt. This biblical figure, known as Joshua or Oshua, is revered in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions for his courage, leadership, and unwavering faith.
In ancient times, Oshua was a name primarily used among the Hebrew people, but as time passed, it spread to other cultures and regions. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Oshua Bartmaan, a Dutch theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (1547-1626). His works on Christian theology and ethics had a significant influence on religious thought during the Reformation era.
Another prominent individual named Oshua was Oshua ibn Shuaib, an 8th-century Muslim scholar from Persia. He made significant contributions to the field of hadith studies, compiling and preserving the teachings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
In the Middle Ages, Oshua became a popular name among European Jews, and several notable rabbis and scholars bore this name. One such figure was Oshua ben Meir, a 13th-century French rabbi and tosafist, known for his commentaries on the Talmud (1268-1335).
During the Renaissance period, Oshua Cervantes, a Spanish painter and sculptor, gained recognition for his religious artworks and sculptures, particularly those depicting scenes from the Bible (1521-1593).
Lastly, in the 19th century, Oshua Wilcox was an American inventor and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of agricultural machinery, including the invention of the first practical grain drill (1810-1887).
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Oshua, highlighting its enduring presence across different cultures, religions, and time periods.
People
Oshua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oshua as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oshua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oshua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 91 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oshua 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 3,766,531 US residents.
Is Oshua a common name?
We classify Oshua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 95 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oshua most popular?
The single biggest year for Oshua was 1986, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oshua is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oshua a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oshua 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.