Josiah Name Meaning

A handsome name with ancient roots, Josiah has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. A clever way to honor a Joseph, Josiah is still uncommon enough to avoid appearing in every classroom, yet is becoming mainstream enough to avoid spelling and pronunciation issues.

Christian parents will appreciate his Biblical ties as well as his incredible meaning of “God supports”. Appearing as a devoted king in the holy book, Josiah is a lovely character to name your child after. He’s also less popular than Biblical names like Noah and Jacob, allowing you to honor your faith without being too common.

Josiah is a name with an inherently youthful vibe, right at home on a curious toddler and young child. He has handfuls of adorable nicknames like Jo, JoJo, Josie, and Siah that are simply precious on a little one. That isn’t to say he doesn’t age well, as Josiah is also quite dapper on a grown man.

Josiah is a patient one, keen on waiting and watching rather than springing into action or jumping to conclusions. He likes to take his time and observe to always be fair and just. He’s often the one people turn to for advice, his logical reasoning and steady judgment valued traits.

Infographic of Josiah name meaning, which is Meaning God supports, Josiah is a Hebrew name.
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Josiah Name Popularity

How popular is the name Josiah? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 822 7 0.0014%
1913 1,060 5 0.0009%
1914 — 0 0%
1915 1,243 6 0.0007%
1916 953 16 0.0017%
1917 1,109 11 0.0011%
1918 — 0 0%
1919 1,269 7 0.0007%
1920 1,582 5 0.0004%
1921 1,372 7 0.0006%
1922 — 0 0%
1923 1,547 5 0.0004%
1924 1,613 5 0.0004%
1925 — 0 0%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 0 0%
1928 1,470 6 0.0006%
1929 — 0 0%
1930 1,417 6 0.0006%
1931 — 0 0%
1932 1,368 6 0.0006%
1933 — 0 0%
1934 — 0 0%
1935 — 0 0%
1936 — 0 0%
1937 — 0 0%
1938 — 0 0%
1939 — 0 0%
1940 — 0 0%
1941 — 0 0%
1942 — 0 0%
1943 — 0 0%
1944 — 0 0%
1945 — 0 0%
1946 — 0 0%
1947 — 0 0%
1948 — 0 0%
1949 1,297 7 0.0004%
1950 — 0 0%
1951 — 0 0%
1952 — 0 0%
1953 — 0 0%
1954 — 0 0%
1955 — 0 0%
1956 — 0 0%
1957 — 0 0%
1958 1,574 5 0.0003%
1959 — 0 0%
1960 — 0 0%
1961 — 0 0%
1962 — 0 0%
1963 — 0 0%
1964 — 0 0%
1965 — 0 0%
1966 — 0 0%
1967 — 0 0%
1968 — 0 0%
1969 1,641 5 0.0003%
1970 1,566 6 0.0004%
1971 — 0 0%
1972 1,386 10 0.0007%
1973 1,439 8 0.0006%
1974 1,269 13 0.001%
1975 1,010 30 0.0023%
1976 799 65 0.005%
1977 721 88 0.0065%
1978 660 113 0.0084%
1979 596 158 0.0112%
1980 535 208 0.0142%
1981 495 239 0.0163%
1982 446 318 0.0213%
1983 407 357 0.0242%
1984 378 425 0.0286%
1985 369 457 0.0301%
1986 379 444 0.0294%
1987 375 475 0.0311%
1988 370 505 0.0324%
1989 378 550 0.0341%
1990 359 630 0.038%
1991 334 706 0.0433%
1992 320 757 0.0474%
1993 306 857 0.055%
1994 297 897 0.0584%
1995 272 996 0.0661%
1996 238 1,218 0.0813%
1997 222 1,366 0.0924%
1998 212 1,505 0.1006%
1999 194 1,723 0.1151%
2000 180 2,021 0.1323%
2001 168 2,232 0.1481%
2002 154 2,553 0.1704%
2003 152 2,672 0.1756%
2004 142 2,790 0.1831%
2005 125 3,255 0.2129%
2006 117 3,638 0.2323%
2007 105 4,216 0.2672%
2008 95 4,769 0.3086%
2009 86 5,005 0.3349%
2010 77 5,204 0.3611%
2011 80 5,258 0.3691%
2012 79 5,513 0.3869%
2013 69 6,298 0.4423%
2014 64 6,447 0.4425%
2015 57 6,640 0.4563%
2016 55 6,971 0.4835%
2017 51 6,968 0.4992%
2018 53 6,603 0.4806%
2019 45 6,758 0.4992%
2020 49 6,011 0.4722%
2021 49 6,057 0.4955%
2022 51 5,754 0.4362%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Josiah

If you like Josiah, you’ll love these other names like Josiah.

What names are diminutives of Josiah?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Josiah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Josiah, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Joe

A diminutive form of Joseph.

English

Joey

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Jojo

Short form of Joseph

English

Josie
Joss

A member of the Germanic tribe, the Gauts

German

What names are variants of Josiah?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Josiah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Josia

Jehovah helps

Hebrew

Josias

Jehovah helps

Hebrew

Joziah

Jehovah helps

Hebrew

What names sound like Josiah?

If you like how Josiah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Josiah.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Isiah

Salvation of God; the Lord helps me

Hebrew

Jedidiah

Beloved of the Lord

Hebrew

Jeremiah

God will exalt

Hebrew

Jesiah

The Lord exists

Hebrew

Joseph

Jehovah will increase

Hebrew

Josh

Jehovah is salvation

Hebrew

Joshua

God is salvation

Hebrew

Joshuah

Jehovah is salvation

Hebrew

Josua

Jehovah is salvation

Hebrew

Obadiah

Servant of God

Hebrew

Zachariah

The Lord recalled

Hebrew

What names are similar to Josiah?

Find a name that’s like Josiah, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aaron

High mountain

Hebrew

Abraham

Father of nations

Hebrew

Asher

Happy and blessed

Hebrew

Caleb

Whole heart

Hebrew

Eli

Ascension

Hebrew

Ezekiel

God will strengthen

Hebrew

Ezra

Help

Hebrew

Micah

Who is Like God?

Hebrew

Moses

Saviour

Hebrew

Noah

To rest

Hebrew

Lists With Josiah

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Josiah.

Siblings of Josiah

Mamas with kids named Josiah also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Eddy

Wealthy spear; son of Edward; wealthy protector; wealthy guard; wealthy friend

English

Grace

Gracious one

English

Eloise

Healthy one

English

Edwin

Wealthy friend

English

Kamden

Winding valley

Jakob

He who supplants

Hebrew

Kohen

Priest

Hebrew

Genevieve

Family woman

French

Alex

Defender of man

Greek

Alice

Of nobility

German

Arielle

Lion of God

Hebrew

Zachariah

The Lord recalled

Hebrew

Antonio

Unknown meaning

Italian

Zacariah
Phoebe

Bright and pure

Greek

Jedidiah

Beloved of the Lord

Hebrew

Lucille

Of the light

French

Elijah

My God is Yahweh

Hebrew

Ian

God is gracious

Scottish

54 Comments

  1. We loved the name Josiah because it was a name from the Bible and me and my husband want all of our kids to have names from the Bible.

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  2. If I have another Son this will be his name. I have one other boy named Hezekiah and Josiah would be a perfect match. Our girls have names like Tali sarah and Shiloh

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  3. We picked a Bible name for our son. We have other boy names picked out if we have more in the future and they all start with “J” and are in the Bible.

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  4. I dreamt his name. It is a biblical name of a boy who became a king at age 8. Josiah means God restores and heals. It is the perfect name as I had gone through lot from his conception plus being scammed of all my finances. God had used Josiah to restore and heal me. I was able to get a comfortable place to live as well as support to pay my debts.

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  5. I chose the name Josiah to go with his father’s name. I fell in love with immediately and affectionately call him Jo Jo.

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  6. Because of the biblical story behind the name Josiah. He was a king who changed peoples lives and help right the wrongs.

    I have two other sons. Elijah and Ian

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  7. I loved the name

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  8. We wanted a biblical name and we love that Josiah mean “fire of the Lord”. His middle name is also James which is a family name and so we loved the nick name JJ!

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  9. My husband wanted to follow the pattern of using a biblical J name for our boys because that’s the pattern with him, his dad, and his grandpa. We narrowed down the list of our favorites to our top three and used Jedidiah for our first boy. We went with Josiah for this boy because we have been on a journey for the past few years of reading more of the Bible and living out more of it in our lives which is similar to the story of king Josiah returning God’s people to follow the Torah Scriptures.

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  10. Josiah means God heals and supports

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  11. We chose Josiah from the bible. He was a great king and it is my hope that my son will be a great leader also

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  12. …….

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  13. We choose Josiah because he was a king in the Bible and we were looking for a name starts with J who is in the Bible.

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  14. H

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  15. I wanted a firm name that had significant meaning and power behind it. I knew I wanted a biblical name. The name Josiah means God heals, God supports, and the fire of God. I saw the name, and I had it as an option. I didn’t choose it right away, but I knew I loved the name and wanted to see if anything else would speak to me. My sister suggested a name, and sure enough, she said the name, Josiah. Right then and there, I felt that was God’s confirmation for me to name my son Josiah. ????

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  16. His dad actually picked his name and I fell in love with it. His middle name comes from his best friend Will and after my late father John William, who passed away before he was born. Also his first 2 initials are the same as my dad’s, JW. So his name pays tribute to both my dad and his dad’s best friend.

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  17. I didn’t like this name( for him) but the second he was born he looked like a Josiah and it just matched him so well. Josiah Luke! Plus he was a great king in the Bible.

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  18. My husband liked the name Josiah ever since he first read it in the Bible. Josiah became the king of Israel when he was 8 years old. He grew up faithful to God and led his people to return to worshipping God alone and living according to God’s instruction.
    Together we both loved the name and we settled on it quickly. It’s also a lot of fun to call him Baby Joe. ?

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  19. Josiah means God’s healer, his middle name Gabriel means God’s my strength . I chose and love these names because of the meaning.

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  20. Just wanted an biblical name easy fo remember now that he is here I just love the name for my son matches him perfectly

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  21. We chose Josiah because that was the name that came to us out of nowhere in prayer. We had received a word that our son would be a healer and bring intimacy and then Josiah popped up. The Hebrew meaning of Josiah is yahweh heals. So powerful.

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  22. When I was about 8 weeks pregnant I found out I had a hematoma (SCH) . It was large land covered about 3/4 of my uterus. Those days were very stressful and sometimes I bled heavily. I spent a lot of time praying and trying to trust the Lord with baby’s life. When we found out that we were having a boy (around 13 weeks), we quickly chose the name Josiah because it means “the Lord heals/restores”. I claimed that as a promise for our baby. Around 20 weeks the hematoma had finally healed and baby was doing great! So Josiah isn’t just a promise during pregnancy, it’s a reminder of God’s goodness during that stressful time.

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  23. I chose Josiah because I got the name out of the Bible and that why I love Josiah

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  24. We know that this child is ordain by God, hence we chose the name Josiah, which means God Supports/Heals.

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  25. One of my favorite biblical stories.

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  26. I love the name he’s still baby Jo for short

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  27. Unique Name…

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  28. Biblical royal name

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  29. Josiah was the youngest king in the Bible and saved his nation. The name also means god heals and that is something I would love to say about my son. He has brought joy through the greatest losses I’ve dealt with so far. He’s healed me and god has healed him. His father liked how the same sounded, so that’s the name we picked.

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  30. Its biblical and at the time I was very religious

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  31. It’s in the Bible and I like the meaning

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  32. This name is biblical meaning The Lord Has Healed!!!!

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  33. My husband Devan and I choose the name Josiah from a list of other names we liked. We had a hard time finding names we both liked, so whenever we found names that we both agreed on, we put them on a list and I added the meaning of the name to the list to help us choose a name. It means “Jehovah has healed”. We like how the name Josiah sounds, it’s easy to spell and pronounce and it’s a more old fashioned name. We like the older names. We also like that there is a Bible character named Josiah.

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  34. It was a name I’ve always loved. Josiah is such a sweet little boy

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  35. I just wanted my son to have a bible name

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  36. Josiah means healer of God. My son saved my life from active addiction. ?

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  37. Very fun and serious child

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  38. My husband was crying and praying after the loss of our first and heard the Lord say, “Name your next son Josiah.” He asked me what the name meant so I looked it up online and found it means “God supports, God heals.” We love the name Josiah because God gave us the name and proved His character throughout the 41+4 week pregnancy and delivery by healing many of the problems doctors found on ultrasound and keeping him safe through failed induction, a prolapsed and wrapped cord, and C-section. All glory to God!

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  39. We picked it because of it being a strong name and loved the way it went with the rest of his name

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  40. He’s the best baby ever

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  41. I named my son Josiah because he was Jesus faithful follower and at the time when I had him the name was unique.

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  42. its a biblical name

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  43. My baby boy was named Josiah because of the deep hebrew meaning, Jehovah heals. Josiah is a king from bible days who did great things for God. I love the sound of it and its very unique!

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  44. I came up with Jo’siah name out the Bible. I chose this name because Jo’siah was the son of a king. I just love saying his name. Also Josiah is amazing he make my day when he smile.

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  45. I really loved how it flowed with Kamden and that it was a biblical name!

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  46. Josiah is the name of a king who took the throne at age 8 yrs old. The previous king was evil but Josiah was of good character and treated the people of his country well.

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  47. After King Josiah in the Bible. He was a righteous King, one of the only who had the high places and the Asherah Pole torn down.

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  48. Josiah is a biblical name. He was a king at the age of 8 and lead people to God.

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  49. We heard it on a documentary about the civil war and knew that was it!!!

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  50. I chose his name out of the Bible and that is the youngest prophet name

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  51. When I was pregnant with our firstborn, our son, we felt he was a Joshua but I wanted something more unique for him and I really don’t like shortened nicknames. When we did some research we found the name Josiah which means God supports and God heals and also the fire of God. We love how different it is and it’s so cute when he says it. He’s our prescious boy.

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  52. Josiah to me is a sweet but strong name. It was as close to Joseph as I wanted to be being he is a Christmas baby.

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  53. I previously lost a baby before I got pregnant with Josiah . I had picked the name Josiah because it means healing and I thought it was the perfect name especially I was still going thru the hurt from the miscarriage.

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  54. My husband and I chose Josiah for our son’s name because we felt it represents strength and boldness. Josiah is a biblical name and we named our son after one of the youngest kind’s every known. He was only 8 yrs old. One thing about our son’s name is that it is unique but some people end up calling him Joshua because they can’t pronounce Josiah. We smile to ourselves…it’s still a good biblical name nevertheless. 😉

    Reply

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