Joshua comes from the Hebrew Yehoshua and means "Yahweh is salvation" or "the Lord saves"; the name Jesus is its Greek form. In the Bible Joshua succeeds Moses and leads the Israelites into the Promised Land, famously bringing down the walls of Jericho. Joshua was the fourth most popular boys' name in the United States in 2000 and number three in 2002; it stayed in the top 10 until 2009 and has drifted down to number 66 in 2025.