NameChart

Joy

Girl name

Joy has been given to 143,324 babies in the U.S. since 1883. It peaked in 1957 and currently ranks #419 for girls (2025).

Meaning & origin /d͡ʒɔɪ/

From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.

Origin: English

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

07321.465k2.197k2.929k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

143,324

Peak year

1957 (2,945 babies)

Rank in 2025

#419 for girls

First recorded

1883

10-year trend

▲ +4%

Gender split

98% girls / 2% boys

Famous people named Joy

Fran Drescher

American actress

Marilyn Waring

New Zealand politician and academic

Joy Adamson

Austrian-British naturalist, painter, writer, collector and illustrator (1910–1980)

Ayọ

German singer

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Joy.

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