How to say it
jo · SI · ah
/dʒoʊˈsaɪ.ə/
Masculine
Josiah
Yahweh supports
What it means
Hebrew Yoshiyahu, 'Yahweh supports' or 'Yahweh heals.' King Josiah of Judah began his reign at age eight and is remembered for the religious reforms that followed his rediscovery of the Book of the Law.
Josiah comes from the Hebrew Yoshiyahu (yāšaʿ 'to support' + yāhū 'Yahweh'). King Josiah of Judah (640-609 BC) is one of the most celebrated kings in the Hebrew Bible; he ascended at age eight and during a temple renovation his priests rediscovered what's traditionally identified with the Book of Deuteronomy, prompting his sweeping religious reforms. The English Josiah was a Puritan favorite, faded, and surged with the broader biblical revival of the 2000s. It's been in the US top 100 since 2010. Joe and Josh both circulate as shorts.
Popularity over time
peaked at #45 in 2019, currently #54 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Most Josiahs keep the full form. Joe and Josh both circulate as shorter alternates.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- King Josiah (Bible) King of Judah from age eight, rediscovered the Book of the Law and reformed the temple
- Josiah Wedgwood 18th-century English potter, founder of the Wedgwood firm
Spelling variants
- Josias
- Yoshiyahu
Names with the same feeling
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By meaning
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