Joshua vs Thomas
Joshua and Thomascompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #63 and Thomas #11 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #76 and Thomas #12 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #81 and Thomas #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Joshua was ranked #67 and Thomas #18 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #60 and Thomas #20 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Joshua was ranked #50 and Thomas #26 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Joshua was ranked #405 and Thomas #106 among boys in Norway.
Joshua and Thomas over time
Joshua and Thomas appear together in 6 published lists, across 253 years of shared records. Thomas held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Joshua in 2.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 3 of the lists they share.
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 Thomas changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #50 and #26.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Joshua and Thomas averaged 5.3 places apart, ending at #50 and #26.
- Mirrored each other
Over 47 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Joshua rose about as far as Thomas fell — from #288 and #8 in 1974 to #81 and #16 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Joshua and Thomas were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1971 to 2024, ending at #76 and #12.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1971–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Thomas in 14.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1993, Thomas #3 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #76, Thomas #12.
New Zealand · Boys50 shared years, 1974–2023
Joshua held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Thomas in 16.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #1 in 1995, Thomas #4 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Joshua #67, Thomas #18.
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1974–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thomas in 47.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #17 in 2003, Thomas #8 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #81, Thomas #16.
Norway · Boys45 shared years, 1973–2025
Joshua held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thomas in 45.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #255 in 2007, Thomas #1 in 1980.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Joshua #405, Thomas #106.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Thomas in 24.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #2 in 2002, Thomas #2 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #50, Thomas #26.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Joshua held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Thomas in 19.
Highest recorded here: Joshua #6 in 2002, Thomas #6 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joshua #63, Thomas #11.
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 | Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Greek form of the Aramaic name meaning 'twin'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Aramaic, via Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ.u.ə/ | /ˈtɑməs/ |
| 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 | Republic of Ireland · Boys #81 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #13 (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 Thomas is recorded with a Aramaic, via Greek origin.
- Joshua and Thomas both have 2 syllables.
- Joshua's recorded meaning differs from Thomas'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
Thomas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #177 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1974 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys