Joshua vs Ryan
Joshua and Ryancompared 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 2024, Joshua was ranked #50 and Ryan #132 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Joshua was ranked #67 and Ryan #57 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #81 and Ryan #57 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Ryan #104 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Ryan #104 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Ryan #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Ryan #364 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Ryan over time
Joshua and Ryan appear together in 6 published lists, across 245 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ryan in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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, Ryan 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Ryan moved ahead of Joshua in New Zealand · Boys — #68 and #69 the year before became #67 and #57.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Joshua and Ryan changed places 7 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1973 and 2024, ending at #76 and #72.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Joshua and Ryan averaged 38.4 places apart, ending at #50 and #132.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Ryan were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 52 years, from 1973 to 2024, ending at #76 and #72.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys52 shared years, 1973–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 46 of those years, Ryan in 6.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Ryan #8 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Ryan #72.
New Zealand · Boys50 shared years, 1974–2023
Joshua held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Ryan in 7.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Ryan #10 in 2006.
The order changed in 2023: Ryan moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #68 and #69; by 2023 that had become #67 and #57.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Joshua #67, Ryan #57.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ryan in 47.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Ryan #6 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Ryan #57.
Norway · Boys39 shared years, 1982–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Ryan in 15.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #255 in 2007, Ryan #249 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #405, Ryan #364.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Ryan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Ryan #7 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #50, Ryan #132.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Ryan in 18.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Ryan #2 in 1997.
The order changed in 2015: Joshua moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #21 and #14; by 2015 that had become #18 and #21.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Ryan #104.
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 | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riain, a patronymic from the given name Rian. The exact meaning of Rian itself remains uncertain, despite a popular but unconfirmed 'little king' gloss. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Irish (surname origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈɹaɪ.ən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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 #57 (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 Ryan is recorded with a Irish (surname origin) origin.
- Joshua has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Ryan.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Ryan'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
Ryan
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #280 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — 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: #2 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #81 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys