Joshua is a given name derived from the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Modern: Yəhōšūaʿ, Tiberian: Yŏhōšūaʿ),[5] prominently belonging to Joshua, an early Hebrew leader of the Exodus period who has a major role in several books of the Bible. The name was a common alternative form of the name יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšūaʿ) which corresponds to the Greek spelling Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), from which, through the Latin Iesus, comes the English spelling Jesus.[6][7] As a result of the origin of the name, a majority of people before the 17th century who have this name were Jewish. A variant, truncated form of the name, Josh, gained popularity in the United States in the 1920s.
Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɒʃuə/[1] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Hebrew (יהושע Yehoshua) |
Meaning | "YHWH is salvation" |
Region of origin | Middle East |
Other names | |
Related names | Jesus, Josue, Josh, Jason, Yeshua, Joseph |
[2][3][4] |
Information from the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics from 2003 to 2007 shows "Joshua" among the top-five given names for newborn males.[8] In Scotland, the popularity of "Joshua" has been substantially lower than in the rest of the United Kingdom, appearing at rank 35 in 2000 and rising to rank 22 in 2006.[9][10]
(#2 2003–2005; #3 2006; #4 2007)