boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Josias

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #950 Trend ↑ Rising 47%

A male given name from Hebrew, the New Testament Greek form of Josiah.

Rank 2025
#950
among boys · ↑89 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
247
named Josias · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,915
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
247 babies
All-time total
3,517
#2,277 all-time among boys
First recorded
1975
in Social Security records

Josias popularity over time

3,517 babies have been named Josias since 1975, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 10 1 – #5,881
1980s 89 9 +790% #2,998
1990s 275 28 +209% #2,054
2000s 668 67 +143% #1,515
2010s 1,245 125 +86% #1,236
2020s (to 2025) 1,230 205 +65% #950

Where Josias is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 267 0.16 outside top 500
2027 286 0.17 outside top 500
2028 302 0.18 outside top 500
2029 317 0.19 outside top 500
2030 330 0.19 outside top 500

Where Josias is most popular

Boys named Josias per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.119 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Josias born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maryland 31 0.260 +118%
Texas 178 0.202 +69%
North Carolina 48 0.188 +57%
New Jersey 32 0.159 +33%
Virginia 30 0.158 +32%
Georgia 40 0.158 +32%
Florida 73 0.154 +29%
New York 59 0.136 +14%
California 121 0.132 +11%
Massachusetts 18 0.131 +10%
Pennsylvania 32 0.121 ≈ national
Arizona 19 0.116 ≈ national
Tennessee 20 0.111 -7%
Colorado 12 0.093 -22%
Nevada 5 0.088 -27%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -38%
Kansas 5 0.073 -39%
Illinois 18 0.070 -41%
Washington 11 0.067 -44%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -59%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -59%
Missouri 6 0.043 -64%
Indiana 5 0.031 -74%
Ohio 7 0.026 -78%
Michigan 5 0.024 -80%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Josias

Josias is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #950 in 2025 with 247 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1975, 3,517 American babies have been named Josias. Its peak came in 2025, when 247 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Josias stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Josias?

The median living Josias is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 17. An estimated 3,500 people named Josias are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Josias year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 247 #950
2024 214 #1,039
2023 193 #1,103
2022 201 #1,089
2021 176 #1,145
2020 199 #1,031
2019 139 #1,316
2018 123 #1,426
2017 137 #1,317
2016 136 #1,321
2015 148 #1,236
2014 147 #1,238
2013 114 #1,451
2012 107 #1,508
2011 98 #1,583
2010 96 #1,631
2009 110 #1,515
2008 78 #1,866
2007 91 #1,678
2006 73 #1,866
2005 51 #2,317
2004 59 #2,039
2003 62 #1,895
2002 55 #2,012
2001 51 #2,075
2000 38 #2,504
1995 26 #2,806
1990 14 #4,080
1985 6 #6,152
1980 7 #5,215
1975 5 #5,881
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Josias

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont German politician, Higher SS and Police Leader, SS-Obergruppenführer 1896–1967 · 19th century
  2. 2 Josias von Heeringen Josias von Heeringen German general (1850–1926) 19th century
  3. 3 Josias Braun-Blanquet Josias Braun-Blanquet Swiss phytosociologist and botanist (1884–1980) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Josias, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Josias?

The median living Josias is about 9 years old. Half of all living Josiass are between 4 and 17 years old.

How many people named Josias are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Josias are alive in the United States, based on 3,517 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Josias mean?

A male given name from Hebrew, the New Testament Greek form of Josiah.

How popular is the name Josias in 2025?

Josias ranked #950 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 247 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Josias?

3,517 babies have been named Josias in the United States since 1975, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Josias most popular?

Josias peaked in 2025, when 247 newborns received the name.

Is Josias a boy or girl name?

Josias is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Josias rising or falling?

Josias is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Josias become more popular?

Josias is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 330 boys named Josias in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Josias?

Well-known people named Josias include Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (politician), Josias von Heeringen (military personnel), Josias Braun-Blanquet (biologist).

Names like Josias

Names that sound and feel close to Josias: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Josias with similar names → More names starting with J →