Joshua vs Luke
Joshua and Lukecompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #81 and Luke #23 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Joshua was ranked #67 and Luke #38 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #50 and Luke #138 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Luke #50 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Luke #57 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Luke #96 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Luke #322 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Luke over time
Joshua and Luke appear together in 5 published lists, across 204 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Luke in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Joshua reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Luke in 1. 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Boys, Luke moved into the top 50 at #39 in 2022 as Joshua fell out of it to #68, having been #47 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2024, Joshua moved ahead of Luke in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #93 and #86 the year before became #76 and #96.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Joshua and Luke averaged 36.1 places apart, ending at #50 and #138.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Luke were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1971 to 2024, ending at #76 and #96.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Joshua #1 in 1993, Luke #5 in 1994.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1971–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Luke in 18.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Luke #5 in 1994.
The order changed in 2024: Joshua moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #93 and #86; by 2024 that had become #76 and #96.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Luke #96.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Luke in 47.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Luke #7 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Luke #23.
New Zealand · Boys46 shared years, 1978–2023
Joshua held the stronger position in 42 of those years, Luke in 4.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Luke #14 in 2003.
The order changed in 2022: Luke moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #47 and #65; by 2022 that had become #68 and #39.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Joshua #67, Luke #38.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Luke in 0.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Luke #11 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #50, Luke #138.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Luke in 8.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Luke #13 in 2005.
The order changed in 2020: Luke moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #18 and #63; by 2020 that had become #34 and #27.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Luke #57.
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 | Joshua | Luke |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | 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. | From Latin Lucas, from Greek Loukas — probably 'from Lucania' (a region of southern Italy), or possibly connected to Lucius. Luke was a physician who accompanied Paul and is traditionally credited as author of the third Gospel and Acts. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Greek/Latin, biblical |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈluk/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | 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 #81 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #23 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joshua is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Luke is recorded with a Greek/Latin, biblical origin.
- Joshua and Luke both have 2 syllables.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Luke's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
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
Luke
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #105 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 recorded1967–2024
Highest recorded position: #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1994 (recorded 1967–2024).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #322 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys