Bent vs Joshua
Bent 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.
Norway · Boys
In 2004, Bent was ranked #547 and Joshua #412 among boys in Norway.
Bent and Joshua over time
Bent and Joshua appear together in 1 published list, across 20 years of shared records. Bent held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Joshua in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Bent reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Joshua in none. 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.
List by list
Norway · Boys20 shared years, 1973–2004
Bent held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Joshua in 7.
Highest recorded here: Bent #135 in 1973, Joshua #256 in 1999.
The order changed in 1996: Joshua moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #484 and #535; by 1996 that had become #506 and #278.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Bent #547, Joshua #412.
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 | Bent | Joshua |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #547 (2004) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #81 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joshua has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Bent does not have one recorded yet.
- Bent has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Joshua.
- A meaning is recorded for Joshua; Bent doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Bent
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #166 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2004
Highest recorded position: #83 among boys in Norway, in 1969 (recorded 1945–2004).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2004
Most recently recorded at #547 among boys in Norway, in 2004.
Norway · 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