Josh is a distinctive choice, ranked #758 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Josh in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#758
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About the Name Josh
Josh has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 348 places in five years. It was most popular in 2002 at #84 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has broken into the UK top 100 on 7 occasions, signalling genuine mainstream interest.
Josh is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Josh in their class.
Josh Widdicombe — Joshua Michael Widdicombe is an English comedian, presenter and actor.
Josh D'Amaro — Josh D'Amaro is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company since 2026, succeeding Bob Iger.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Josh
Unlikely. With around 45 UK babies named Josh per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Josh in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Josh is declining: down 249 places since 2020, to #758 in 2025. It peaked at #84 in 2002.
Josh is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Josh include: Josh Wolf (comedian), Josh Widdicombe and Josh D'Amaro. Short summaries for each appear below.
Josh does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Joshs in the wild.
45
UK babies named Josh (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 249 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Josh
Almost certainly the only Josh in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Josh
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story