Joshua vs Patrick
Joshua and Patrickcompared 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 Patrick #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Patrick #26 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2020, Joshua was ranked #37 and Patrick #93 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #50 and Patrick #120 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Patrick #125 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Patrick #78 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Patrick #327 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Patrick over time
Joshua and Patrick appear together in 6 published lists, across 247 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Patrick in 2.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Patrick 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
Joshua and Patrick changed places 4 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1997 and 2024, ending at #63 and #26.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 54 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Joshua and Patrick averaged 33.0 places apart, ending at #76 and #78.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Patrick were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1971 to 2024, ending at #76 and #78.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Joshua #1 in 1993, Patrick #30 in 1994.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1971–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 52 of those years, Patrick in 2.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Patrick #30 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Patrick #78.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Patrick in 45.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Patrick #3 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Patrick #25.
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Patrick in 45.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #255 in 2007, Patrick #67 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #405, Patrick #327.
New Zealand · Boys44 shared years, 1974–2020
Joshua held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Patrick in 1.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Patrick #47 in 1991.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Joshua #37, Patrick #93.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Patrick in 0.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Patrick #66 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #50, Patrick #120.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Patrick in 5.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Patrick #18 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Patrick #26.
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 | Patrick |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Patricius, meaning 'nobleman, patrician'. Adopted by Saint Patrick (originally named Sucat), a Romanized Briton who Christianized Ireland and became its patron saint. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈpæt.ɹɪk/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Pádraig, Pádraic |
| 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 #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Joshua is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Patrick is recorded with a Latin origin.
- Joshua and Patrick both have 2 syllables.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Patrick'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 Joshua a "medium" Data Confidence level and Patrick a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
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
Patrick
Popularity journey
First recorded1948
First recorded at #315 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys