Joy
A unisex name of Old French origin, meaning joy; gladness and pleasure.
How Joy has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #430 |
| 2016 | #352 |
| 2017 | #334 |
| 2018 | #353 |
| 2019 | #344 |
| 2020 | #395 |
| 2021 | #406 |
| 2022 | #467 |
| 2023 | #455 |
| 2024 | #442 |
| 2025 | #419 |
Joy by the numbers
In 2025, 73 babies in England and Wales were named Joy. In the US, 971 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
For the size of the two countries, it is given noticeably more often in the US than in England and Wales.
Its American peak was 2,928 babies in 1957, making it a 1950s name.
At its height, in 1975, about 1 in 680 American babies born that year was called Joy.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Joy. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
Sounds like Joy
Names that are said the same way as Joy, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
Other names that mean joy
Like Joy, each of these has joy in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Abigailmy father's joy10,557 in the US (2017)
- Asherhappy, blessed6,076 in the US (2017)
- Edendelight, paradise594 in England and Wales (2025)
- Jocelyncheerful or joyful; from Jocundus1,828 in the US (2017)
- Felixhappy; fortunate811 in England and Wales (2025)
- Tatumcheerful or bringer of joy1,159 in the US (2017)