Josiah comes from the Hebrew Yoshiyahu and means "Yahweh supports" or "God heals". The biblical King Josiah came to the throne of Judah as a boy and became one of its most admired rulers for restoring the temple and the law. The Puritans brought the name to America, where Josiah Wedgwood's pottery and Josiah Quincy's politics kept it familiar. Josiah ranked number 180 in the United States in 2000, entered the top 100 in 2008 and has stayed between number 45 and number 57 for the past decade, standing at number 54 among boys in 2025.