Joshua (name)

Joshua (French and Spanish: Josué) is a given name derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua (יהושע‎), prominently belonging to Joshua, an early Hebrew leader of the Exodus period who has a major role in several books of the Bible. 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]

Joshua
Joshua and the Israelite people by Karolingischer Buchmaler, c.840
Pronunciation/ˈdʒɒʃuə/[1]
Gendermale
Origin
Word/nameHebrew Yehoshua
Meaning"YHWH (God) is salvation"
Other names
Related namesJack, Jesus, Joseph, Josué, Jésus, Josh
[2][3][4]

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
  • Jesus, known in his own tongue as Yahshua, an Aramaic form of Yehoshua (Joshua)
  • Joshua the High Priest, High Priest ca. 515-490 BC after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity

Ancient world
Ordered chronologically
  • Joshua ben Perachiah (given name יהושע‎ = Yehoshua), Nasi (prince) of the Sanhedrin in the latter half of the 2nd century BC
  • Joshua ben Hananiah (given name יהושע‎ = Yehoshua) (died 131), a tanna (sage)
  • Joshua ben Levi, Jewish amora (scholar) in the first half of the third century
  • Joshua the Stylite, author of a chronicle of the war between the Later Roman Empire and the Persians between 502 and 506

Medieval period

Modern era

Pre-20th century

20th and 21st centuries

Fictional characters
  • Josh Bauer (24), a minor character in season 6 of the American television series 24
  • Joshua Clay (debut 1977), DC Comics superhero Tempest
  • Joshua Deets (debut 1985), a recurring character in the Lonesome Dove American novel series
  • Joshua Graham, a central character in the Honest Hearts expansion of Fallout: New Vegas
  • Josh Lyman (1999–2006), in the American television series The West Wing
  • Joshua, a character in the TV series Dark Angel
  • Joshua Bright, a main character in the video game The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
  • Joshua "Josh" Washington, one of eight protagonists from the survival horror game Until Dawn
  • Joshua "Josh" Faraday, one from titular characters from remake of western The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)

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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