Joy
Joy is a common unisex given name meaning joy, happiness, joyful. A common variant of the name is the other female given name Joyce (name).
Meaning & Origin of Joy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Joy is a common unisex given name meaning joy, happiness, joyful. A common variant of the name is the other female given name Joyce (name).
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Joy
Joy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1885, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1957, when 2,929 Joys were born — ranking #143 that year. As of 2026, Joy ranks #470 for baby girls with 658 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 141K Joys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Joy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Joy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joy
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About the name Joy
Joy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1885 and has accumulated 141K births in the dataset. Joy's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #109. Use the chart and map above to compare Joy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.