Conor vs Joshua
Conor 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 1996, Conor was ranked #98 and Joshua #1 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Conor was ranked #16 and Joshua #81 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Conor was ranked #422 and Joshua #50 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Conor was ranked #51 and Joshua #63 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Conor was ranked #181 and Joshua #60 among boys in Scotland.
Conor and Joshua over time
Conor and Joshua appear together in 3 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Conor held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Joshua in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Conor reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 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.
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
Conor and Joshua changed places 12 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2024, ending at #51 and #63.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Boys, Conor and Joshua averaged 6.6 places apart, ending at #51 and #63.
- Longest-running competitions
Conor and Joshua were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 47 years, from 1974 to 2025, ending at #16 and #81.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Conor held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Joshua in 0.
Highest recorded here: Conor #1 in 1995, Joshua #17 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Conor #16, Joshua #81.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Conor held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Joshua in 29.
Highest recorded here: Conor #57 in 1998, Joshua #2 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Conor #422, Joshua #50.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Conor held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Joshua in 12.
Highest recorded here: Conor #4 in 1997, Joshua #6 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Conor #51, 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 | Conor | Joshua |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | The Anglicized form of Conchobar (Modern Irish Conchúr), from the elements 'cú' ('dog, hound') and 'cobar'. | 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 | Irish | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑn.əɹ/ | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #16 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #81 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Conor is recorded with a Irish origin, while Joshua is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Conor and Joshua both have 2 syllables.
- Conor's recorded meaning differs from Joshua's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Conor
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #56 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1995 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · 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