Greg vs Joshua
Greg 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2000, Greg was ranked #277 and Joshua #13 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2021, Greg was ranked #4789 and Joshua #31 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2015, Greg was ranked #699 and Joshua #47 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Greg and Joshua over time
Greg and Joshua appear together in 2 published lists, across 51 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Greg in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Greg reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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
Greg and Joshua changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1980 and 2015, ending at #699 and #47.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys29 shared years, 1980–2015
Greg held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Joshua in 25.
Highest recorded here: Greg #166 in 1987, Joshua #17 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Greg #699, Joshua #47.
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 1996–2021
Greg held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Joshua in 22.
Highest recorded here: Greg #341 in 1997, Joshua #2 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Greg #4789, Joshua #31.
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 | Greg | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #4789 (2021) | 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) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joshua has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Greg does not have one recorded yet.
- Greg has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Joshua.
- A meaning is recorded for Joshua; Greg doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Greg
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #283 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1978–2015
Highest recorded position: #166 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1978–2015).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #4789 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021.
England and Wales · 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