Joshua vs Samuel
Joshua and Samuelcompared 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 2023, Joshua was ranked #67 and Samuel #50 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Samuel #51 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #53 and Samuel #66 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Samuel #69 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Samuel #64 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Samuel #75 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #81 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Joshua and Samuel over time
Joshua and Samuel appear together in 6 published lists, across 252 years of shared records. Joshua held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Samuel in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one 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 Samuel 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 2015, Samuel moved ahead of Joshua in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #17 and #18 the year before became #15 and #13.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Joshua and Samuel changed places 16 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1974 and 2023, ending at #67 and #50.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Joshua and Samuel averaged 9.4 places apart, ending at #53 and #66.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Samuel were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #53 and #66.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Joshua #2 in 2002, Samuel #6 in 2004.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys52 shared years, 1972–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 42 of those years, Samuel in 10.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Samuel #10 in 2003.
The order changed in 2015: Samuel moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #17 and #18; by 2015 that had become #15 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Samuel #51.
New Zealand · Boys50 shared years, 1974–2023
Joshua held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Samuel in 23.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Samuel #3 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Joshua #67, Samuel #50.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Samuel in 22.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Samuel #33 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Samuel #76.
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 45.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #255 in 2007, Samuel #44 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #405, Samuel #75.
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samuel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #53, Samuel #66.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Samuel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Samuel #25 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Samuel #64.
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 | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| 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) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| 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 Samuel is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel origin.
- Joshua and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Samuel'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
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #66 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys