Josh vs Phillip

Josh and Phillipcompared 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 2012, Josh was ranked #84 and Phillip #403 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Josh was ranked #158 and Phillip #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Josh was ranked #857 and Phillip #1460 among boys in England and Wales.

Josh and Phillip over time

Josh and Phillip appear together in 3 published lists, across 55 years of shared records. Josh held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Phillip 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.

Phillip reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Josh 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

England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Josh held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Phillip in 0.
Highest recorded here: Josh #84 in 2002, Phillip #180 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Josh #857, Phillip #1460.
Republic of Ireland · Boys17 shared years, 1989–2024
Josh held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Phillip in 4.
Highest recorded here: Josh #56 in 2005, Phillip #185 in 1990.
The order changed in 1996: Josh moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #206 and #191; by 1996 that had become #208 and #295.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Josh #158, Phillip #785.
Northern Ireland · Boys9 shared years, 1997–2012
Josh held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Phillip in 0.
Highest recorded here: Josh #54 in 2002, Phillip #189 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Josh #84, Phillip #403.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Phillip

Pairs where Phillip shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Adrian vs Phillip
Adrian and Phillip changed places 13 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 1994, ending at #62 and #90.
Adrian · Phillip · 42 shared years, 1952–1994 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
See the 1994 New South Wales, Australia ranking
John vs Phillip
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — John #1 in 1952, Phillip #14 in 1952.
John · Phillip · 43 shared years, 1952–1994 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Richard vs Phillip
Across 43 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Richard and Phillip averaged 8.8 places apart, ending at #81 and #90.
Richard · Phillip · 43 shared years, 1952–1994 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1994 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Ian vs Phillip
Across 38 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Ian and Phillip averaged 8.9 places apart, ending at #78 and #63.
Ian · Phillip · 38 shared years, 1952–1989 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1989 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Josh, Phillip
Field	Josh	Phillip
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Origin	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Syllables	1	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, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Boys #188 (2025)	Norway · Boys #268 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	82/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Josh has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Phillip.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.

How each name got here

Josh

Popularity journey

First recorded1989
First recorded at #278 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1989 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #38 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2005 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #188 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Phillip

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1952–1994
Highest recorded position: #14 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1994).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #268 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys