Joshua (name)

Joshua
Joshua and the Israelite people by Karolingischer Buchmaler, c.840
Pronunciation /ˈɒʃuə/[1]
Gender male
Origin
Word/name Hebrew Yehoshua
Meaning "Yahweh is salvation"
Other names
Related names Josh, Jesus, Josue
[2][3][4]

Joshua is a Biblical given name derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua (יהושע). The name was a common alternative form of the name יֵשׁוּעַ – yēšūă which corresponds to the Greek spelling Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), from which, through the Latin Iesus, comes the English spelling Jesus.[5][6]

As a result of the origin of the name, a majority of people before the 17th century who have this name were Jewish. A variant, truncated form of the name, Josh, gained popularity in the United States in the 1970s.

Popularity

Information from the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics from 2003 to 2007 shows "Joshua" among the top-five given names for newborn males.[7] In Scotland, the popularity of "Joshua" has been substantially lower than in the rest of the United Kingdom, appearing at rank 35 in 2000 and rising to rank 22 in 2006.[8][9]

Biblical figures

  • Joshua, leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses
  • Joshua the High Priest, High Priest ca. 515-490 BCE after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity

Ancient world

Ordered chronologically

Medieval period

Modern era

Pre-20th century

20th and 21st centuries

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. Joshua at Oxford Dictionaries Online
  2. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament Francis Brown, with S.R. Driver and C.A. Briggs, based on the lexicon of William Gesenius. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 221 & 446
  3. Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for Yĕhowshuwa` (Strong's 03091)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996–2008. 16 Feb 2008. http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H3091
  4. Behind the name – Joshua- feminine form http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/39476
  5. Ilan, Tal (2002). Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity Part I: Palestine 330 BCE–200 CE (Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum 91). Tübingen, Germany: J.C.B. Mohr. p. 129.
  6. Stern, David (1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Maryland: Jewish New Testament Publications. pp. 4–5.
  7. "Top 100 names for baby boys in England and Wales". National Statistics Online. Office for National Statistics. 2007-12-19. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-02-17. (#2 2003–2005; #3 2006; #4 2007)
  8. "Top 100 boys' and names, Scotland, 2000 (provisional) – listed alphabetically" (PDF). Occasional papers. General Register Office for Scotland. 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-25.
  9. "Top 100 boys' and names, Scotland, 2000 (provisional) – listed alphabetically" (PDF). Occasional papers. General Register Office for Scotland. 2006-12-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27.
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