Joyce

Joyce: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “lord”
Origin: French
Say it: JOYS · 1 syllable
Used for: Girls

From the medieval French masculine name Josse, derived from Breton Iodoc, meaning 'lord'. It later became established as a feminine name in English, influenced by the word joy.

English names French names Names meaning noble Names meaning joy Vintage names Classic names

How popular is Joyce?

202475.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Joyce in 2024251

2024 rank#1,041 girls

Peak year1940

Total US babies since 1880511,995

Joyce is steady now but far below its 1940 peak.

Names like Joyce

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Charlottefree man · French
Eleanormeaning uncertain · French
Eloisehealthy; wide · French
Claireclear, bright · French
Nataliebirthday of the Lord · French
Madelineof Magdala · French
Carolinefree woman · French
Allisonnoble kind · French

Joyce questions

What does the name Joyce mean?

Joyce means "lord". It comes from French. From the medieval French masculine name Josse, derived from Breton Iodoc, meaning 'lord'. It later became established as a feminine name in English, influenced by the word joy.

Is Joyce a boy or girl name?

Joyce is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Joyce?

251 US babies were named Joyce in 2024. Its peak year was 1940.

How do you pronounce Joyce?

Joyce is usually pronounced JOYS.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.