Benjamin vs Joshua
Benjamin and Joshuacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Benjamin was ranked #39 and Joshua #67 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Benjamin was ranked #44 and Joshua #76 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Benjamin was ranked #48 and Joshua #405 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Benjamin was ranked #61 and Joshua #50 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Benjamin was ranked #78 and Joshua #60 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Benjamin was ranked #76 and Joshua #63 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Benjamin was ranked #83 and Joshua #81 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Benjamin and Joshua over time
Benjamin and Joshua appear together in 6 published lists, across 253 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Benjamin in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Joshua reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Benjamin in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Benjamin and Joshua changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1971 and 2024, ending at #44 and #76.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Benjamin and Joshua averaged 12.5 places apart, ending at #61 and #50.
- Longest-running competitions
Benjamin and Joshua were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1971 to 2024, ending at #44 and #76.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Benjamin #6 in 2002, Joshua #2 in 2002.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1971–2024
Benjamin held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Joshua in 29.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #5 in 1977, Joshua #1 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Benjamin #44, Joshua #76.
New Zealand · Boys50 shared years, 1974–2023
Benjamin held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Joshua in 26.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #3 in 2003, Joshua #1 in 1995.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Benjamin #39, Joshua #67.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Benjamin held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Joshua in 31.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #50 in 2020, Joshua #17 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Benjamin #83, Joshua #81.
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
Benjamin held the stronger position in 45 of those years, Joshua in 0.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #13 in 2016, Joshua #255 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Benjamin #48, Joshua #405.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Benjamin held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Joshua in 29.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #6 in 2002, Joshua #2 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Benjamin #61, Joshua #50.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Benjamin held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Joshua in 28.
Highest recorded here: Benjamin #22 in 2002, Joshua #6 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Benjamin #76, Joshua #63.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Benjamin | Joshua |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'son of the right hand', with the underlying literal sense being 'son of the south' (since 'right' indicated the southerly direction in the biblical east-facing orientation convention). | From Hebrew Yehoshua, combining 'yeho' (referring to God) with 'yasha' ('to save') — 'Yahweh is salvation'. Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites in the Old Testament. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛndʒəmɪn/ | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #46 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #81 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Both Benjamin and Joshua share a recorded Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Benjamin has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Joshua.
- Benjamin's recorded meaning differs from Joshua's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Benjamin
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #345 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1970–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 2003 (recorded 1970–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #46 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Joshua
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #77 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1993 (recorded 1971–2024).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #405 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys