Jocelyn
Girl nameJocelyn has been given to 113,412 babies in the U.S. since 1900. It peaked in 2007 and currently ranks #393 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈd͡ʒɒsəlɪn/
From the Middle English male given name from Old French Joscelin, German Gautzelin, diminutive of names beginning with the tribal name Gaut (“a Geat, a Goth”), the root form of which probably comes from Proto-Germanic *Gautalinþiz (from *gautaz +‎ *linþaz); also used as a diminutive form of the Breton name Josse (= Joyce). It survived as a surname and was revived as a given name in the nineteenth century. * Jocelyn is currently popular among U.S. Hispanics, and in the Philippines, by folk etymology explained as a feminine diminutive form of José (Joseph).
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
113,412
Peak year
2007 (5,304 babies)
Rank in 2025
#393 for girls
First recorded
1900
10-year trend
▼ -68%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Jocelyn
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
British astrophysicist (born 1943)
Barbara Hepworth
English sculptor (1903–1975)
Jocelyn Angloma
French football player and manager (born 1965)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Jocelyn.
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