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Josiah Name Meaning, Origins & History

Josiah

Pronunciation: joh-SY-uh

Meaning The Lord supports and protects Origin Hebrew Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#54
TREND
1
GIRLS RANK
#8,083
TREND
2,531
Peak Years
2017, 2016, 2019
Lowest Years
1902, 1905, 1901
Energy Archetype
Courageous & Inventive

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Josiah in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Josiah

  • A newer favorite: Josiah first entered the U.S. top 100 in 2008 and stayed there through 2025 - a run of 18 consecutive years.
  • More than 149 thousand babies named Josiah: U.S. records list 149,309 babies given the name Josiah from 1880 through 2025. Even 462 girls received the name Josiah - about 1 girl for every 322 boys.

What Does the Name Josiah Mean?

Josiah is the English form of the Hebrew name Yoshiyahu (יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ). It is a sentence name: the ending -yahu is a form of the divine name YHWH, and the verb element before it is usually explained as "he supports," so the name means "Yahweh supports." Some older dictionaries and translations give "Yahweh heals" or "Yahweh saves," reflecting uncertainty about the exact Hebrew root. Josiah belongs to the same broad group of Hebrew theophoric names as Joshua and Isaiah, but it is a separate name, not a variant of either.

Josiah Name History & Origins

Josiah is a biblical name. In the Hebrew Bible, it belongs to the king of Judah who, according to 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, reigned in the late seventh century BCE. He became king as a child after the assassination of his father Amon, later carried out religious reforms, repaired the Temple in Jerusalem, and was killed at Megiddo by Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. The Hebrew form Yoshiyahu also appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, including in several prophetic books.

The name entered Greek as Iōsias and Latin as Iosias. In the New Testament, the Greek form appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:10 - 11. English Bibles render the name as Josiah, and this English form is the one that passed into general use.

After the Reformation, English Protestants, including Puritans, favored Hebrew biblical names, and Josiah is found in English and early American records. Among later bearers are Josiah Franklin, the father of Benjamin Franklin, and Josiah Bartlett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The name also appears in fiction, notably as Josiah Bounderby in Charles Dickens's Hard Times.

How Popular is the Name Josiah?

Josiah recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2017. Josiah entered the top 100 U.S. boy names in 2008.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Josiah

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

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How the Name Josiah Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.

Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.

✦ Josiah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Josiah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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