Explore the Family Name Joshua

The meaning of Joshua

Jewish and Welsh: from the Biblical name, Hebrew Yehoshuah, meaning ‘may Jehovah help him’, transliterated as Joshua in Latin and Latin-derived European Biblical texts, and in Britain and America pronounced with initial /ʤ/ (as in jewel) instead of original /j/ (as in yule). The name was borne by the Israelite leader who took command of the children of Israel after the death of Moses and led them to take possession of the promised land. As well as its use as a personal name and surname among Ashkenazic Jews it is also typically Welsh. In Britain Joshua was a relatively popular personal name among Baptists and Independents from the 17th century onward, at which time many Welsh families continued to employ a non-hereditary patronymic, which was only later adopted as a fixed surname. The surname is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Koshy), but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Compare Jesus and Josue. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Moshe, Nadav, Ayal, Cohen. Indian Baskaran, Ranjan, Sarath, Sudhir, Suresh, Vijay.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.