Joy is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Joy means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Joy across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Joy has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Joy is a girl name of English origin meaning “joy, delight”. one of the virtue names.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 143,324 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,860 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 425 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 93 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 654 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 487 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Joy per year, United States (1883 to 2025). United States peaked in 1957 (2,945/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (91/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1982 (30/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (18/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2008 (8/yr).
Joy has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1957, when it ranked #275 nationally (given to 2,945 babies that year).
Joe · Jo · Jay · Joey · Jaye · Joye · Joi · Jai
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