James vs Joshua
James 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 2024, James was ranked #1 and Joshua #63 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #4 and Joshua #81 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #14 and Joshua #60 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, James was ranked #15 and Joshua #67 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #21 and Joshua #76 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, James was ranked #40 and Joshua #50 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, James was ranked #355 and Joshua #405 among boys in Norway.
James and Joshua over time
James and Joshua appear together in 6 published lists, across 253 years of shared records. James held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Joshua in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
James reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Joshua in 2. 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
James and Joshua changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #40 and #50.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, James and Joshua averaged 2.7 places apart, ending at #40 and #50.
- Longest-running competitions
James and Joshua were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1971 to 2024, ending at #21 and #76.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — James #2 in 1993, Joshua #1 in 1995.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1971–2024
James held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Joshua in 24.
Highest recorded here: James #3 in 1996, Joshua #1 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #21, Joshua #76.
New Zealand · Boys50 shared years, 1974–2023
James held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Joshua in 16.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1993, Joshua #1 in 1995.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: James #15, Joshua #67.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
James held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Joshua in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 1994, Joshua #17 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #4, Joshua #81.
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
James held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Joshua in 14.
Highest recorded here: James #240 in 1986, Joshua #255 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: James #355, Joshua #405.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
James held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Joshua in 14.
Highest recorded here: James #2 in 1997, Joshua #2 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #40, Joshua #50.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
James held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Joshua in 0.
Highest recorded here: James #1 in 2015, Joshua #6 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: James #1, 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 | James | Joshua |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Supplanter, held by the heel (traditional interpretation via Jacob). | 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 | Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪmz/ | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Jim, Jamie, Iacomus | 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 | Republic of Ireland · Boys #4 (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 | high | medium |
What the data shows
- James is recorded with a Hebrew, via Late Latin Iacomus origin, while Joshua is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- James and Joshua both have 2 syllables.
- James'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.
- The available evidence gives James a "high" Data Confidence level and Joshua a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
James
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #344 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2015 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 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