Joy
Joy was the 419th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 747 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 109th; the most babies were born in 1957 (2,929). Over the last ten years it has moved up 11 places. More babies were named Joy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning joy · English, Old French, Latin
Say it JOY /dʒɔɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #419 girls, down 23 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 747girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19572,929 babies
- Total since 1880
- 143,324babies recorded
What does the name Joy mean?
Joy is the English word used as a name. DMNES records it as a medieval name from Old French joie, from Latin gaudia, "joy", in France as early as 1179, and Bardsley notes it as a medieval surname for a person of joyful character. Wiktionary adds that it was taken up again by English Puritans in the 17th century as a virtue name.
joie (Old French, “joy”)gaudium (Latin, “joy”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Joyce, Gioia, Joelle.
See also: English names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Joy', DMNES, Durham University
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Joy', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Joy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,630 since 1883, 27 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #419 | 747 |
| 2020 | #396 | 788 |
| 2010 | #478 | 632 |
| 2000 | #457 | 607 |
| 1990 | #375 | 697 |
| 1980 | #165 | 1,717 |
| 1970 | #184 | 1,773 |
| 1960 | #152 | 2,776 |
| 1950 | #159 | 1,775 |
| 1940 | #160 | 1,310 |
| 1930 | #163 | 1,268 |
| 1920 | #337 | 376 |
| 1910 | #605 | 48 |
| 1900 | #695 | 27 |
| 1890 | #904 | 10 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Joy, counting every spelling?
Joy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #411 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #419 for Joy on its own. Together these spellings went to 801 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joy | 747 | #419 | 3,604 |
| Joi | 48 | #3,271 | 321 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Joy?
747 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Joy (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Joy born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Joy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Joy?
About 104,300 people born in the US named Joy are alive today, with a median age of 55; half are between 39 and 69. That makes Joy mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Joy by state
How common Joy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (1.9×), Nevada (1.7×), Virginia (1.7×), Connecticut (1.6×), Massachusetts (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, New Mexico, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Joy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Joy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Joy · Sibling names for Joy
Questions about the name Joy
What does Joy mean?
Joy means “joy” (English, Old French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Joy?
Joy was the 419th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 747 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 109th; the most babies were born in 1957 (2,929). Over the last ten years it has moved up 11 places. More babies were named Joy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Joy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Joy in the US.
Where is Joy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Joy was most common in Maryland (0.83 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Virginia.