Names that mean joy
This list groups names by the literal gloss at the start of each meaning, not the cultural notes that follow. Closely related meanings are gathered under joy. Tap any name for its story, or grow a tree and see which of them belong in your family.
Farah Arabic · joy, happiness
Joy English · joy, happiness; the go-to translation for Filipino families whose daughter carries the native Tagalog name Ligaya ("joy"), and also chosen by Korean American church families for its brightness
Letizia Italian · joy, happiness; famously borne by Queen Letizia of Spain, the first commoner and journalist to become a Spanish queen
Leticia Latin · joy, gladness
Edna Hebrew · pleasure, delight
Hillary Latin · cheerful, happy
Noam Hebrew · pleasantness, delight
Preeti Sanskrit · joy, love
Onni Finnish · happiness, luck
Blythe English · means 'happy, cheerful'
Phuoc Vietnamese · happiness, good fortune, blessing; the southern form Phước of Phúc
Rena Hebrew · song, joy
Sokha Khmer · happiness, wellbeing; from Pali sukha, the root of the everyday greeting sok sabay; given to both sons and daughters across every generation
Harsha Sinhala · joy, delight (Sanskrit); a classic that reads identically in Sinhala and Indian use
Hilary Latin · traditionally 'cheerful, happy'
Noémie French · pleasantness, my delight
Felicity Latin · "happiness, good fortune"
Kasem Thai · happiness
Farrah Arabic · means 'joy' or 'happiness'
Joie French · 'joy'
Alan Celtic · old Breton name of uncertain meaning, possibly "little rock" or connected to the Alans
Nandar Burmese · joy, delight, from Pali nanda (နန္ဒာ)
Larissa Portuguese · cheerful, citadel
Joi English · variant spelling of Joy, from the English word for happiness
Ananda Sinhala · bliss, joy (Pali and Sanskrit); the Buddha's devoted attendant, and through Ananda College in Colombo a name woven into Sinhala Buddhist educational pride; a heritage classic rather than a current pick
Carol French · song of joy
Ayotunde Yoruba · joy has come again
Feven Amharic · my joy
Ligaya Filipino · joy, happiness (a native Tagalog word name, distinct from the many Spanish-derived Filipino names)
Lok Cantonese · happiness (樂)
Ronen Hebrew · song, joy (Hebrew ron); a modern Israeli favorite
Ifrah Somali · traditionally meaning happiness
Farhiya Somali · traditionally meaning happiness
Abbie Hebrew · father's joy
Xinyue Chinese · joy and delight (欣悅)
Miyuki Japanese · beautiful happiness, or beautiful snow
Ayomide Yoruba · my joy has arrived
Morayo Yoruba · I have found joy
Ayodeji Yoruba · joy arrives again
Etsuko Japanese · child of joy
Ayodele Yoruba · joy has come home
Meriwether English · Middle English for pleasant, cheerful weather or temperament; famously borne by Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the expedition that mapped the American West.
Harsh Sanskrit · joy, happiness (an honest heritage meaning that reads as an unrelated English word, worth knowing before use in the US)
Souksavanh Lao · heavenly happiness (souk = joy, well-being + savanh = heaven)
Ramin Persian · peace, joy (the lover in the epic Vis and Ramin)
Letitia Latin · From Latin 'laetitia', meaning joy or gladness; in use as a given name since the late Roman era.
Long-Hei Cantonese · bright or clear; splendid or prosperous (朗熙)
Adebayo Yoruba · royalty meets joy
Letty Latin · pet form of Letitia, 'joy, gladness'
Roni Hebrew · From Hebrew ranan, to sing or rejoice, meaning my joy; also used as a short form of Veronica or Ronald
Ronit Hebrew · feminine form of Ron: song, joy; a modern Israeli standard
Dakari African · variant of Dakarai (Shona), meaning 'to rejoice, happiness'
Bukayo Yoruba · adds to happiness (Yoruba); Saka himself translates it as 'added joy' and says his grandmother chose it; famously borne by Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka
Tate English · surname, from Old Norse "teitr", "cheerful"
Hilario Spanish · the Spanish form of Hilarius, from Latin hilaris, cheerful, merry; honors the 4th-century Saint Hilary of Poitiers
Yan Cantonese · joy (欣) or grace (恩), two words sharing one spelling; the ending of Ka-Yan, Wing-Yan and Tsz-Yan, and a standalone name
Leta Latin · traditionally 'joy', or a short form of Aleta
Jiayi Chinese · often 佳怡: auspicious beauty joined with joy and harmony; a favorite for US-born children of Chinese immigrants
Vinod Sanskrit · Sanskrit vinoda, meaning delight, pleasure, or amusement; famously borne by Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures.
Tisha Latin · short form of Letitia, from Latin laetitia, joy or gladness.
Ilaria Italian · cheerful (Italian form of Hilary)
Beatrix Latin · she who brings happiness
Beatriz Portuguese · she who brings happiness; a common Portuguese-facing first name Nikkei-Brazilian parents pair with a Japanese middle name
Ka-Lok Cantonese · family happiness (家樂)
Lettie Latin · diminutive of Letitia, from Latin 'laetitia' meaning joy
Ka-Yan Cantonese · family joy (家欣)
Shahram Persian · king Ram (Ram is the old Zoroastrian divinity of joy)
Abigayle Modern American · A modern American respelling of Abigail, from Hebrew, meaning my father's joy.
Abagail Modern American · A modern American respelling of Abigail, from Hebrew, meaning my father's joy.
Fraidy Yiddish · little joy, a pet form of Fraida (Yiddish freid, 'joy'); a Brooklyn Hasidic favorite
Titilayo Yoruba · eternal happiness
Funmilayo Yoruba · a Yoruba name often translated as give me joy; famously borne by Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who led mass protests against colonial taxation in Nigeria.
Ellery Latin · English surname, traditionally linked to Hilarius, meaning 'cheerful'
Abigail Hebrew · "my father's joy," from the Hebrew Avigayil, the quick-witted wife of David in the Bible; a Puritan favorite that fell out of use when "abigail" became slang for a lady's maid, then returned in the 1970s to become a modern staple. Abby for short
Gale Hebrew · short form of Abigail, 'father's joy'; also the English word for a strong wind
Abigale Hebrew · variant of Abigail, "my father's joy"
Bayo Yoruba · short for Adebayo, 'joy meets royalty'
Binod Nepali · Nepali form of Sanskrit vinoda, delight, pleasant diversion; a parent-generation staple
Noemi Hebrew · form of Naomi in several languages ("my pleasantness", from naam, "to be pleasant")
Gwenyth Welsh · variant of Gwyneth, Welsh for 'blessed' or 'happiness'
Gail English · short form of Abigail, traditionally 'father's joy'
Koji Japanese · meaning depends on the kanji chosen, often with ko meaning prosperous or happiness
Abbigail Hebrew · variant spelling of Abigail, Hebrew for 'my father's joy'
Dele Yoruba · short for Adedele/Ayodele, 'royalty/joy arrives home'
Winfield Old English · an English place name and surname, from Old English wine, friend, or wynn, joy, and feld, field; sources disagree on the first element
Letha Modern American · likely a short form of Aletha, from Greek aletheia, truth, or of Letitia, from Latin laetitia, joy; the exact source is uncertain
Ziyi Chinese · child of joy (子怡)
Ilona Finnish · in Finland popularly associated with ilo, "joy" (a folk connection, not the name's original Greek/Hungarian root)
Gwyneth Welsh · Welsh name meaning 'blessed' or 'happiness'
Abbey Modern American · a modern respelling of Abby, a pet form of Abigail, from Hebrew Avigayil, meaning my father's joy
Which of these fits YOUR family? →