Joy
Meaning
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
The story
Joy is one of the purest of the virtue names, meaning simply joy, gladness, delight, from the Old French joie and the Latin gaudia. It belongs to the family of virtue names chosen for the quality parents hope a child will carry, and it came into regular use in the late nineteenth century, never losing that bright, hopeful directness. It travels beautifully: many Filipino families choose Joy as the warm English echo of the Tagalog name Ligaya, which also means joy, and it is a favorite in church-going families of every background. Short, radiant and unmistakable, it works on its own or tucked inside names like Joyce and Joanna. In the United States Joy reads as current as it has ever been. Simple, luminous and full of heart, Joy hands a child the happiest possible meaning, a one-word wish for a glad and grateful life.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Joy peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
514 people · the #13,113 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 333,333 · median age 31
Among people named Joy living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 54 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Joy
People given the name Joy in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Joy deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Joy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Joy fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Joy travels
Korean American · joy, happiness (a favorite English half of the Korean American dual-name pair)
Filipino American · joy, happiness (a popular Filipino American virtue name)
Filipino · joy, happiness (popular virtue name)
Keep exploring
Dual-language baby names · Korean American baby names · Filipino baby names · Filipino American baby names · Short names
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