Fun Facts About the Name Yusha
- 150 babies named Yusha: U.S. records list 150 babies given the name Yusha from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yusha Mean?
Yusha is the Arabic form (يُوشَع, Yūshaʿ) of the biblical name Joshua. It goes back to Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua), a compound of a shortened form of the divine name YHWH and a verb element from the root y-sh-ʿ, meaning "to save" or "to deliver." Read literally, the name says "Yahweh is salvation," often restated more generally as "the Lord saves."
Hebrew also had a shorter form of the same name, יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua), which appears in the Bible and stands behind the Greek Iēsous. Arabic Yūshaʿ is the descendant of this biblical name rather than of the modern English "Joshua," and it is used as a personal name in Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities.
A separate and unrelated usage is the Russian diminutive Юша (Yusha), an informal short form of names beginning with Yu-, such as Yuri or Yusuf. That is a nickname formation, not an independent etymology of the given name.
Yusha Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name is first attached in the Torah to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant and successor, who leads the Israelites into Canaan. Later biblical books use the shortened form Yeshua for the same figure and for others, and this is the form that passed into Greek as Iēsous and eventually into English as both Joshua and Jesus.
In Islamic tradition the same figure is known as Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn. The Quran does not name him, but tafsir and the stories of the prophets identify him as Moses' successor, and a well-known hadith reports that the sun was held back for him during his campaign. Arabic-speaking Muslims and Christians have used Yūshaʿ as a personal name, and the simplified spelling Yusha appears in modern use in the Middle East and in Muslim communities elsewhere.
The Russian diminutive Yusha belongs to a different tradition. It is one of several affectionate short forms built from names beginning with Yu-, such as Yuri, and it is not related to the biblical name.
How Popular is the Name Yusha?
Yusha has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #5,454 in 2023.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,597 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #5,638 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #5,454 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #9,802 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,805 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #7,481 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #5,799 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #10,723 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #8,812 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #10,709 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #7,479 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #9,609 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #10,741 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #14,564 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Yusha Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Yusha's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yusha's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.