Joy
Joy is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
Delight, happiness, or great pleasure.
Origin and history
Joy is an English virtue name derived from the Old French word 'joie', which traces back to the Latin 'gaudia'. It gained popularity as a given name in the late 19th century alongside other abstract virtue names. In the United States, Joy remains a steadily chosen classical and uplifting name.
Popularity in the United States
140,694 babies in the United States have been named Joy since 1880. It ranks #287 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #421.
States where it is most popular
- CA (8.7 %)
- TX (7.4 %)
- NY (6.4 %)
- IL (5.3 %)
- OH (5.2 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 52 |
| 1890-1900 | 186 |
| 1900-1910 | 364 |
| 1910-1920 | 1,742 |
| 1920-1930 | 7,353 |
| 1930-1940 | 13,185 |
| 1940-1950 | 15,564 |
| 1950-1960 | 24,518 |
| 1960-1970 | 21,756 |
| 1970-1980 | 20,119 |
| 1980-1990 | 11,680 |
| 1990-2000 | 6,183 |
| 2000-2010 | 5,933 |
| 2010-2019 | 7,667 |
| 2020-2029 | 4,392 |
Famous people named Joy
- Joy Behar: Comedian, Television Host
- Joy Harjo: Poet, Musician
Fun facts
- Joy emerged as a given name in the 19th century as part of a broader trend of adopting vocabulary words representing positive qualities.
- The word stems from the Latin 'gaudia', which is the plural form of 'gaudium', meaning joy or gladness.