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Boy · Hebrew
Josiah
Say it: joh-SY-uh
Meaning
Hebrew Yoshiyyahu, of uncertain meaning; 'YHWH supports' and 'YHWH heals' have been proposed.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
A Puritan name that has become popular again in the United States since the 1990s.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 120,597 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2017, about 1 in 262 boys
- 6,092 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| French | Josias |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Josías |
| Italian | Giosia |
| Portuguese | Josias |
| German | Josia |
| Polish | Jozjasz |
| Hebrew | Yoshiyahu |
Famous bearers
- Josiah, reforming king of Judah
- Josiah Wedgwood, English potter
- Josiah Bartlett, signer of the Declaration of Independence
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- Colonial records of the Americas
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.