Joshua

(male) Meaning ‘God is salvation’ in Hebrew; it is borne in the Bible by the Israelite leader who took command of the Children of Israel after the death of Moses and led them, after many battles, to take possession of the Promised Land. The name, long favoured by Jews and Nonconformist Christians, enjoyed a great surge in popularity in the 1990s. Well-known bearers of the name include the American pianist and conductor Joshua Rifkin (b. 1944) and the American-born violinist Joshua Bell (b. 1967).