Girl name · English
Joy
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: gladness, delightJoy is a girl's name that comes from English and means "gladness, delight". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Gladness, delight
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #419 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Joy
As a girl's name, Joy comes from English and means "gladness, delight". It is used in English.
Joy is also a surname: the 2,532nd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 13,910 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Joy on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Joy on 3 lists.
“Simple, cheerful and straight from the carols”
From Reindeer names, girl reindeer names
“Gladness, delight; English. Cheerful and bright”
From Girl middle names, one-syllable girl middle names
“Old French joie, a nickname for a cheerful person”
From Pretty last names, short aesthetic last names
How popular is Joy?
- US rank in 2025
- #419
- 747 babies, 465 per million girls
- Best rank
- #109 in 1974
- Most babies: 2,929 in 1957
- Babies since 1885
- At least 140,694
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 40 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 84 per million |
| 1900s | 124 per million |
| 1910s | 214 per million |
| 1920s | 615 per million |
| 1930s | 1,237 per million |
| 1940s | 1,075 per million |
| 1950s | 1,275 per million |
| 1960s | 1,191 per million |
| 1970s | 1,302 per million |
| 1980s | 680 per million |
| 1990s | 343 per million |
| 2000s | 321 per million |
| 2010s | 438 per million |
| 2020s | 451 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #352 | #336 | #353 | #344 | #396 | #407 | #462 | #451 | #440 | #419 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Joy
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- JoanGod is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- JayaVictory, triumph (Sanskrit, girl)
- JiaWise and elegant (depends on hanja) (Korean, girl)
- JiuWisdom and blessing (depends on hanja) (Korean, unisex)
- JiyuWise and gentle (depends on hanja) (Korean, girl)
- JunPure, genuine (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- EdenPossibly delight, pleasure (Hebrew, unisex)
- LetiziaJoy, gladness (Latin, girl)
- BehnazGoodness, delight (Persian, girl)
- EdnaPleasure, delight (Hebrew, girl)
- EuterpeDelight (Greek, girl)
- GolnazFlower, delight (Persian, girl)
- HephzibahMy delight is in her (Hebrew, girl)
- HepzibahMy delight is in her (Hebrew, girl)
- LetíciaJoy, gladness (Latin, girl)
- LettieJoy, gladness (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Joy
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- BelleBeautiful (French, girl)
- CelesteHeavenly, of the sky (Latin, girl)
- EliseGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- EvangelineGood news (Greek, girl)
- HazelHazel tree (Old English, girl)
- LydiaWoman from Lydia (Greek, girl)
- MagnoliaFlower named for botanist Pierre Magnol (French, girl)
- OttilieWealth, fortune (Germanic, girl)
More girl names from English
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- CataleyaFrom cattleya, an orchid named for William Cattley (English, girl)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- HeatherHeather plant (English, girl)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AddisonSon of Adam (English, girl)
Joy: common questions
What does the name Joy mean?
Joy comes from English and means "gladness, delight".
Is Joy a boy or girl name?
Joy is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 747 girls and 27 boys in the US were named Joy, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Joy come from?
Joy comes from English and means "gladness, delight". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Joy?
Joy ranked #419 in the US in 2025, with 747 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Joy?
Names spelled like Joy include Joan, Jaya, Jia, Jiu and Jiyu.
What middle names go with Joy?
Middle names that flow well with Joy include Belle, Celeste, Elise, Evangeline and Hazel. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.