Joy
An English word name from Old French joie, which descends from Latin gaudium. It was in use in the Middle Ages, well before the virtue-name fashion.
Joy in 2025
Joy was given to 774 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 834th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 4,283 babies born.
The history of Joy
Joy reached its highest point in 1957, when 2,945 babies were given the name, ranking 275th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 201st, in 1974.
Across the 143 years of records since 1883, 143,324 babies have been named Joy. Half of them were born before 1962, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Joy by decade
| Decade | Babies named Joy | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 57 | 980 |
| 1890s | 214 | 784 |
| 1900s | 428 | 732 |
| 1910s | 2,028 | 599 |
| 1920s | 7,862 | 317 |
| 1930s | 13,594 | 258 |
| 1940s | 15,797 | 280 |
| 1950s | 24,701 | 264 |
| 1960s | 21,922 | 284 |
| 1970s | 20,275 | 201 |
| 1980s | 11,813 | 321 |
| 1990s | 6,296 | 694 |
| 2000s | 6,026 | 851 |
| 2010s | 7,806 | 680 |
| 2020s | 4,505 | 786 |
Where Joy is heading
Joy has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 746 babies in 2015 to 774 in 2025.
Names like Joy
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Joy.