Namewise

Joshua vs Mitchell

Joshua and Mitchellcompared 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 2010, Joshua was ranked #6 and Mitchell #94 among boys in New Zealand.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys

    In 2010, Joshua was ranked #14 and Mitchell #387 among boys in Northern Ireland.

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys

    In 2013, Joshua was ranked #15 and Mitchell #88 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2024, Joshua was ranked #50 and Mitchell #968 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 2018, Joshua was ranked #52 and Mitchell #749 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

  • Scotland · Boys

    In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Mitchell #535 among boys in Scotland.

Joshua and Mitchell over time

Joshua and Mitchell appear together in 5 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Mitchell in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Mitchell reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 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.

  • Closest over the longest run

    Across 35 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Joshua and Mitchell averaged 28.3 places apart, ending at #15 and #88.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Joshua and Mitchell were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 35 years, from 1979 to 2013, ending at #15 and #88.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Joshua #1 in 1993, Mitchell #9 in 1992.

List by list

  • New South Wales, Australia · Boys35 shared years, 19792013

    Joshua held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Mitchell in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Mitchell #9 in 1992.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2013: Joshua #15, Mitchell #88.

  • England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 19962024

    Joshua held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Mitchell in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Mitchell #75 in 1998.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #50, Mitchell #968.

  • New Zealand · Boys23 shared years, 19862010

    Joshua held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Mitchell in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Mitchell #24 in 1995.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2010: Joshua #6, Mitchell #94.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys14 shared years, 19892018

    Joshua held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Mitchell in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Joshua #22 in 2004, Mitchell #242 in 1998.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2018: Joshua #52, Mitchell #749.

  • Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 19972010

    Joshua held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Mitchell in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Mitchell #192 in 2001.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2010: Joshua #14, Mitchell #387.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Joshua, Mitchell
FieldJoshuaMitchell
Record typeEditorially researched profileEditorially researched profile
Gender usagemalemale
MeaningFrom 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.An English surname derived from the given name Michael, or in some cases from Middle English 'michel' ('big, large').
OriginBiblical HebrewEnglish (surname origin), from Michael or 'michel'
Pronunciation/ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə//ˈmɪt͡ʃ.əl/
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Boys #81 (2025)Scotland · Boys #535 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/10090/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10076/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Joshua is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Mitchell is recorded with a English (surname origin), from Michael or 'michel' origin.
  • Joshua and Mitchell both have 2 syllables.
  • Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Mitchell's — see the table above for each.
  • Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.

How each name got here

Joshua

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1971–2024

    Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1993 (recorded 1971–2024).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #405 among boys in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Boys

Mitchell

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1979

    First recorded at #91 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  2. Highest recorded1979–2013

    Highest recorded position: #9 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1979–2013).

    New South Wales, Australia · Boys

  3. Most recent2024

    Most recently recorded at #968 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.

    England and Wales · Boys