Joshua vs Oscar
Joshua and Oscarcompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #53 and Oscar #8 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Joshua was ranked #67 and Oscar #20 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Oscar #22 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Oscar #23 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #81 and Oscar #31 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Oscar #34 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Oscar #51 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Oscar over time
Joshua and Oscar appear together in 6 published lists, across 187 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Oscar in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 5 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 6 of those lists, and Oscar 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2013, Oscar moved ahead of Joshua in England and Wales · Boys — #11 and #17 the year before became #12 and #7.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Joshua and Oscar changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1974 and 2025, ending at #81 and #31.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Joshua and Oscar averaged 39.7 places apart, ending at #53 and #8.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Oscar were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #53 and #8.
List by list
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Oscar in 44.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #255 in 2007, Oscar #35 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #405, Oscar #51.
Republic of Ireland · Boys36 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Oscar in 11.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Oscar #30 in 2021.
The order changed in 2017: Oscar moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #44 and #46; by 2017 that had become #50 and #44.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Oscar #31.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Oscar in 13.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Oscar #7 in 2013.
The order changed in 2013: Oscar moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #11 and #17; by 2013 that had become #12 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #53, Oscar #8.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Oscar in 8.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1999, Oscar #21 in 2018.
The order changed in 2017: Oscar moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #19 and #30; by 2017 that had become #26 and #25.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Oscar #23.
New Zealand · Boys25 shared years, 1998–2023
Joshua held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Oscar in 6.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1998, Oscar #11 in 2022.
The order changed in 2018: Oscar moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #20 and #22; by 2018 that had become #38 and #19.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Joshua #67, Oscar #20.
Northern Ireland · Boys25 shared years, 1999–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Oscar in 3.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Oscar #24 in 2014.
The order changed in 2023: Oscar moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #29 and #51; by 2023 that had become #46 and #25.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Oscar #34.
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 | Oscar |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Possibly 'deer friend' (Irish), or possibly derived from an Old English/Old Norse name meaning 'god spear' — the origin is genuinely disputed. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Disputed — possibly Irish, possibly Old English/Old Norse |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈɑskər/ |
| 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 | England and Wales · Boys #53 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #8 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| 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 Oscar is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Irish, possibly Old English/Old Norse origin.
- Joshua and Oscar both have 2 syllables.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Oscar'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 #53 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Oscar
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #263 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in England and Wales, in 2013 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #8 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys