Josh is a distinctive choice, ranked #857 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Josh in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#857
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 distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Josh
Unlikely. With around 37 UK babies named Josh per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Josh in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Josh has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 348 places in the last five years. Its peak was #84 in 2002. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
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 Wolf is an American comedian, actor, and writer.; 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..
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.
37
UK babies named Josh (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 348 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
Likely around 1 other Josh in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
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
Joshua Michael Widdicombe is an English comedian, presenter and actor. He is best known for his appearances on The Last Leg, Fighting Talk, Insert Name Here, Mock the Week and his BBC Three sitcom Josh.
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. Previously, he was chairman of Disney Experiences.
Joshua Benjamin Hammer is an American conservative political commentator, attorney, and columnist. He is also the author of Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.
Josh Malihabadi popularly known as Shayar-e-Inqalab (poet of revolution) was a Pakistani Urdu poet. Known for his liberal values and challenging the established order, he wrote over 100,000 couplets and more than 1,000 rubaiyat in his lifetime.
Josh Johnson is an American stand-up comedian and writer. He is best known for his work on The Daily Show, having first joined as a staff writer in 2017.
Joshua-Douglas James Naylor is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians/Guardians, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Joshua David Hawley is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Hawley served as the 42nd attorney general of Missouri from 2017 to 2019, before defeating two-term incumbent Democratic senator Claire McCaskill in the 2018 election.