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Baby names

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Original poster

What do people think of the baby name Josh?

62 replies

Namesnamesnames13 · 16/07/2026 21:06

Thoughts on the name Josh? Not for me, but for my sister. She asked me to post it!!

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Rothburypixie · 20/07/2026 13:00

Josh is nice enough, wouldn’t bother calling him Joshua unless you like it. MN is stuck in a time warp where they think not having a “full name” will hold you back in life.

maddiemookins16mum · 20/07/2026 09:18

One of my favourites along with Jacob and Caleb.

Juryduty · 20/07/2026 09:02

Fine as a nickname for Joshua. I wouldn't put "Josh" itself on a birth certificate though, I agree with a PP that it's a bit of a nothing name.

Helenbelena · 18/07/2026 21:52

DontrockthecaravanGeoffrey · 18/07/2026 16:35

Makes me think 'slosh' and gives me the ick.

I don’t like the sound either

SirChenjins · 18/07/2026 16:46

I love Joshua but Josh is the inevitable nickname and I still like it. Traditional names are great - they go anywhere and are timeless, whereas the 'fashionable ' names date a person.

balozcro · 18/07/2026 16:43

Love the name Josh .

Witnesses · 18/07/2026 16:40

Biblical names don't go out of fashion in the same way as other names, in my opinion. Mark, Jacob, Joshua, Peter etc are all likely to come back around again and again for likely thousands more years!

DontrockthecaravanGeoffrey · 18/07/2026 16:35

Makes me think 'slosh' and gives me the ick.

TheIdlerReturns · 18/07/2026 15:48

Love Joshua. I guess it would be shortened to Josh and like that as well.

lemoncrisp · 18/07/2026 15:46

Only as a nickname for Joshua.

Calliopespa · 18/07/2026 15:39

floofydoofy · 16/07/2026 22:00

I was born late 90s and there were loads of boys called Josh when I was at school. Half of our school year were Ben, Sam, Josh or Matt (pretty sure all of them were Benjamin, Samuel, Joshua and Matthew, though).

I like Joshua but don't like Josh at all. Just sounds like squash to me and a bit of a 'nothing' name. I feel Joshua has more to it, but would obviously be shortened.

I like Ben, Sam and Matt but for some reason I really am not fond of Joshua, even less of Josh.

It does make me think of "joshing" and has a sort of squashy-joshy sound to me too.

ETA It isn't, however, a Tragedeigh sort of name. Perfectly normal and would not raise eyebrows.

NarnianQueen · 18/07/2026 10:07

I like Joshua

its also a translation of Jesus, if that makes any difference!

Daffodilsinthespring · 18/07/2026 09:58

Josh is half a name.

Joshua is ok but a bit dated

Firebird83 · 17/07/2026 22:55

It’s a bit dated now.

GotALionInMyPocket · 17/07/2026 21:46

NamingNoNames · 17/07/2026 20:36

The ones I know are just Colin, but Colin is from Nicholas.

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How is Collin from Nicholas?

GotALionInMyPocket · 17/07/2026 21:45

I don’t love it.
I do know a lovely Josh though.

RobertaFirmino · 17/07/2026 20:59

Anyone remember Guru Josh?

lmnabc · 17/07/2026 20:41

That it’s short for Joshua

NamingNoNames · 17/07/2026 20:36

CombatBarbie · 17/07/2026 20:17

To some, the ones I know are just Colin 🙄

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The ones I know are just Colin, but Colin is from Nicholas.

CombatBarbie · 17/07/2026 20:17

NamingNoNames · 17/07/2026 00:52

Colin is a diminutive of Nicholas.

Show quote history

To some, the ones I know are just Colin 🙄

sunnydayyzz · 17/07/2026 16:19

I love Joshua nn Josh.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 17/07/2026 10:42

CypressMoon · 16/07/2026 21:28

Short for Joshua. I love it. Cute, cool, biblical.

But 30 years ago I worked with US teenagers and every second boy was called Josh, so I imagine USA is full of middle aged Joshes now, if that makes any difference. Still relatively rare in UK, though.

Josh(ua) was enormously popular in the 90s and into the 2010s. It was top 5 for over a decade. There are absolutely masses of twenty something and teen Joshes around. It is very much not rare in the UK, relatively or otherwise!

user1492757084 · 17/07/2026 09:45

It's fine.

Josh sounds best with short surnames.

I know many named Josh, Kai, Jake, Sam, Matthew, Oliver and Jack who are about 18 - 35. .

Monty36 · 17/07/2026 09:30

Not keen. Trying to be trendy. Joshua would be fine strangely.

knitnerd90 · 17/07/2026 09:24

I’m Jewish and it’s been popular for us for decades. There’s three Jewish state governors in the US named Josh!

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