Josh

Meaning of Josh

Josh is a shortened version of Joshua, meaning "God is salvation" or "The Lord saves."

Josh has Hebrew roots — browse every Hebrew baby name in our catalog.

Popularity of Josh

After ranking as high as #663 in 2004, Josh has fallen out of the US top 1,000 as of 2025.

Notable people named Josh

• Josh Brolin
  Actor (Avengers, No Country)
• Josh Hartnett
  Actor (Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down)
• Josh Hutcherson
  Actor (The Hunger Games)
• Josh Groban
  Singer and songwriter
• Josh Duhamel
  Actor (Transformers, Las Vegas)

More Hebrew names

Questions about the name Josh

What does the name Josh mean?

Josh means josh is a shortened version of joshua, meaning "god is salvation" or "the lord saves.", and it comes from Hebrew origins.

Is Josh a boy's or a girl's name?

Josh is most commonly used as a boy's name in the United States.

How popular is the name Josh?

Josh did not appear in the top 1,000 baby names in 2025, which makes it a genuinely uncommon pick.

When was Josh most popular?

Josh peaked at #663 in 2004.