Name
Joy
Meaning
Joy is a feminine name of English origin meaning “joy, delight”.
Joy is the English word taken whole, used as a name since medieval times and adopted enthusiastically by the Victorians. It is the most compact of the virtue names, doing in three letters what Felicity does in four syllables, and it shines especially in the middle spot.
A US top-1000 fixture for over a century, peaking in the 1950s and 1970s.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #419 in 2025 · peak #165 in 1980
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /JOY/
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Questions
Joy is a feminine name of English origin meaning “joy, delight”. Joy is the English word taken whole, used as a name since medieval times and adopted enthusiastically by the Victorians.
Joy is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. It is a US top-1000 fixture for over a century, peaking in the 1950s and 1970s.
The name Joy comes from English. Joy is the English word taken whole, used as a name since medieval times and adopted enthusiastically by the Victorians. It is the most compact of the virtue names, doing in three letters what Felicity does in four syllables, and it shines especially in the middle spot.
Joy is pronounced JOY.
More names that mean joy
Names that share this meaning.