Josiah - Meaning of Josiah |
What does Josiah mean?
[ 3 syll. jo-siah, jos-i-ah ] The baby boy name Josiah is pronounced as JHowSAYah in English †. Josiah is used chiefly in English and it is derived from Hebrew origins. Josiah's meaning is Yahweh supports, Yahweh heals. A biblical name, its meaning is derived from the element 'yahweh' name of God. Joschija (Hebrew) and Yoshiyah (Hebrew) are older forms of the name. The name was borne in the Bible by a king of Judah who was the successor of King Amon. The name was adopted by English speakers in the 17th century; it was also common with nonconformists. The name was borne by the famous English potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), who industrialized the manufacture of pottery, and another English potter Josiah Spode (1733-1797), who perfected the formula for porcelain. The name was also famous from Josiah Quincy (1744-1975), an American lawyer and patriot who argued the American cause against British oppression.
Josiah has 17 variants that are used in English and other languages. English variants include Jasiah, Josea, Joshiah, Josiahs, Josian, Josias (used in German as well), Josie, Josy, Josya, Josyah, Jozia, Joziah, Jozias, and Yoshiyahu. Another English form is the spelling variant Joesiah. A variant of Josiah used in other languages is Yoshiya (Hebrew). The spelling variant Josia (African, Dutch, and German) is another foreign form.
See also the related form, Jahwe (German).
Josiah is popular as a baby name for boys, and it is also regarded as trendy. The name's popularity has been increasing since the 1970s. At the recent height of its usage in 2011, 0.259% of baby boys were named Josiah. It ranked at #80 then. Within all boy names in its group, Josiah was the most popular in 2011. 15 times more boys were named Josiah than the next most popular name, Jasiah, in that year.
Baby names that sound like Josiah include Jahea, Jahee, Jakhea, Jakow, Jashua, Jasiah, Jasio, Jaycy, Jesaja, Jeshaiah, Jeshua, Jesiah, Jesuso, Joahas, Joahaz, Joesiah, Johsua, Johusa, Joschua, and Josea.
† Pronunciation for Josiah: JH as in "joy (JH.OY)" ; OW as in "oak (OW.K)" ; S as in "see (S.IY)" ; AY as in "side (S.AY.D)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)"
