Joy

#419 for girls in 2025, 747 births · #3,949 for boys in 2025, 27 births
Given to girls 98.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1974 · 2,757 births
Debut · girls
9 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
140,694
since 1885

Joy over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Joy has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201936peak #109, 1974girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#419747#3,94927
2024#440707#4,89020
2023#450683#5,92715
2022#461688#4,85020
2021#407779#6,33513
2020#395788#5,04118
2019#343918#6,10414
2018#353902#7,13611
2017#335968#5,29717
2016#352954#7,60510
2015#430734#6,67612
2014#457699#4,26323
2013#470653#5,92314
2012#495622#7,05011
2011#502585#7,50210
2010#477632#5,25117
2009#516587#7,69210
2008#535575#9,0198
2007#520604#7,09411
2006#501608#7,9989
2005#510584#7,6409
2004#479615#9,9486
2003#494583#5,87712
2002#476590#6,52210
2001#480580#8,3397
2000#457607#5,92011
1999#448596#6,5309
1998#442583#9,6315
1997#438580#4,66813
1996#434587#4,61313
1995#434593#7,7926
1994#428589#5,10911
1993#399632#4,22714
1992#409616#6,1288
1991#362710#3,46217
1990#375697#3,46717
1989#316802#3,44616
1988#295837#2,86019
1987#286862#3,73112
1986#2491,036#3,88211
1985#2301,123#3,40113
1984#2241,155#3,70111
1983#2111,191#3,23013
1982#2031,335#2,83116
1981#1701,622#3,22113
1980#1651,717#4,1349
1979#1541,821#2,15723
1978#1391,946#3,07013
1977#1362,100#2,45818
1976#1322,076#2,70915
1975#1232,306#3,42810
1974#1092,757#1,88624
1973#1621,697#2,51315
1972#1601,817#2,99111
1971#1691,826#2,97311
1970#1841,773#2,29316
1969#1871,691#1,91419
1968#1701,904#2,20014
1967#1691,885#2,13914
1966#1652,090#1,81418
1965#1771,975#3,2447
1964#1752,219#1,85019
1963#1782,181#2,04416
1962#1692,426#2,03516
1961#1582,609#1,68623
1960#1522,776#1,81220
1959#1462,880#1,97417
1958#1472,764#1,53426
1957#1432,929#2,01916
1956#1402,819#2,09115
1955#1522,389#1,90217
1954#1512,367#1,70620
1953#1512,307#2,7099
1952#1492,276#1,43028
1951#1552,012#1,97215
1950#1591,775#1,65720
1949#1711,642#1,70219
1948#1711,627#1,81717
1947#1661,815#1,91616
1946#1701,573#1,64219
1945#1681,389#1,69716
1944#1631,456#1,28227
1943#1571,610#1,30828
1942#1541,592#1,11937
1941#1501,550#1,33325
1940#1601,310#1,25129
1939#1661,259#1,27227
1938#1591,372#1,33725
1937#1621,236#93245
1936#1441,483#89347
1935#1481,349#98042
1934#1521,342#1,00741
1933#1471,291#1,02839
1932#1471,361#1,07739
1931#1521,224#88752
1930#1631,268#92852
1929#1771,138#1,02644
1928#1881,091#1,00347
1927#1831,127#84963
1926#210892#98049
1925#236772#85161
1924#273578#1,07144
1923#277540#1,12840
1922#309447#84066
1921#332392#1,01847
1920#336376#98748
1919#358322#86758
1918#377303#1,12437
1917#393256#1,01741
1916#429214#98442
1915#445190#1,08235
1914#428158#1,18824
1913#453120#1,07522
1912#59168#1,61910
1911#52263#1,5376
1910#60448#98111
1909#50954#1,2776
1908#61738—
1907#60138#1,0947
1906#55540#1,0047
1905#56438#1,0916
1904#55936#76010
1903#59630#7839
1902#51838#7949
1901#63025—
1900#68827#83610
1899#64423#1,0515
1898#75020#1,1215
1897#53730#9426
1896#75418#9826
1895#62224—
1894#64321—
1893#95510—
1892#72616#9566
1891#72714—
1890#87210—
1889#56720—
1888#83710—
1887#9377—
1886#9936—
1885#7459—
1884——
1883—#8925
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1885

The first year at least five girls were named Joy! It came in at #745, and was given to 9 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1885–1887, when fewer than 10 girls a year got the name.

Where Joy is popular in 1936

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedNHWashington: #61 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 230 girlsWAIdaho: #71 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 269 girlsIDMontana: #144 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 650 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #172 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 932 girlsNDMinnesota: #138 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 828 girlsMNIllinois: #123 for girls · 83 births · 1 in 609 girlsILWisconsin: #128 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 757 girlsWIMichigan: #128 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 775 girlsMINew York: #171 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 1,050 girlsNYMassachusetts: #230 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 2,723 girlsMARhode Island: #139 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 824 girlsRIOregon: #71 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 271 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #82 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 319 girlsSDIowa: #91 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 442 girlsIAIndiana: #125 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 682 girlsINOhio: #108 for girls · 94 births · 1 in 499 girlsOHPennsylvania: #166 for girls · 66 births · 1 in 1,077 girlsPANew Jersey: #176 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,306 girlsNJConnecticut: #178 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,319 girlsCTCalifornia: #93 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 400 girlsCAUtah: #47 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 175 girlsUTColorado: #189 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 880 girlsCONebraska: #129 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 652 girlsNEMissouri: #100 for girls · 57 births · 1 in 453 girlsMOKentucky: #169 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 804 girlsKYWest Virginia: #203 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,224 girlsWVVirginia: #324 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 3,248 girlsVAMaryland: #154 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 855 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedDEArizona: #174 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 665 girlsAZNew Mexico: #172 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 694 girlsNMKansas: #131 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 622 girlsKSArkansas: #85 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 368 girlsARTennessee: #124 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 562 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #194 for girls · 33 births · 1 in 1,080 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #358 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 3,328 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #50 for girls · 84 births · 1 in 238 girlsOKLouisiana: #90 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 336 girlsLAMississippi: #165 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 734 girlsMSAlabama: #184 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 810 girlsALGeorgia: #258 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,632 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Joy, so not publishedHITexas: #78 for girls · 148 births · 1 in 371 girlsTXFlorida: #157 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 663 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Utah#47 · 1 in 175
  2. Oklahoma#50 · 1 in 238
  3. Washington#61 · 1 in 230
  4. Idaho#71 · 1 in 269
  5. Oregon#71 · 1 in 271

Best ever in a state: #32 in Hawaii, 1977.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Utah#47261 in 175
Oklahoma#50841 in 238
Washington#61411 in 230
Idaho#71141 in 269
Oregon#71201 in 271
Texas#781481 in 371
South Dakota#82161 in 319
Arkansas#85471 in 368
Louisiana#90611 in 336
Iowa#91421 in 442
California#93921 in 400
Missouri#100571 in 453
Ohio#108941 in 499
Illinois#123831 in 609
Tennessee#124471 in 562
Indiana#125341 in 682
Michigan#128501 in 775
Wisconsin#128301 in 757
Nebraska#129151 in 652
Kansas#131201 in 622
Minnesota#138241 in 828
Rhode Island#13951 in 824
Montana#14461 in 650
Maryland#154131 in 855
Florida#157191 in 663
Mississippi#165291 in 734
Pennsylvania#166661 in 1,077
Kentucky#169321 in 804
New York#171781 in 1,050
New Mexico#17271 in 694
North Dakota#17261 in 932
Arizona#17461 in 665
New Jersey#176181 in 1,306
Connecticut#17871 in 1,319
Alabama#184351 in 810
Colorado#18991 in 880
North Carolina#194331 in 1,080
West Virginia#203151 in 1,224
Massachusetts#230101 in 2,723
Georgia#258181 in 1,632
Virginia#32471 in 3,248
South Carolina#35861 in 3,328
Alaska———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Maine———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Joy
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 21 spots since 2024 (#440 → #419)
  • 24 spots since 2020 (#395 → #419)
  • 11 spots since 2015 (#430 → #419)
  • Biggest jump: 312 spots in 1894 (#955 → #643)
  • Biggest drop: 305 spots in 1890 (#567 → #872)
Rise & fade · girls
89 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1885
  • Peaked 1974 at #109 (2,757 births)
  • Births halved by 1982, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 141 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1885–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 532
  • Highest: 1 in 532 girls born in 1974 were named Joy (0.19%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,152 girls born in 2025 (0.05%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 17.4% of all girls named Joy (24,518) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s52#567 (1889)#816
1890s186#537 (1897)#723
1900s364#509 (1909)#584
1910s1,742#358 (1919)#460
1920s7,353#177 (1929)#252
1930s13,185#144 (1936)#154
1940s15,564#150 (1941)#163
1950s24,518#140 (1956)#149
1960s21,756#152 (1960)#170
1970s20,119#109 (1974)#147
1980s11,680#165 (1980)#235
1990s6,183#362 (1991)#417
2000s5,933#457 (2000)#497
2010s7,667#335 (2017)#421
2020s4,392#395 (2020)#429

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Joy in 1936

girls
#144
1,483 births · 1 in 702 girls
boys
#893
47 births · 1 in 22,068 boys

Top girls' names in 1936

  1. #1Mary54,377
  2. #2Shirley35,161
  3. #3Barbara31,682
  4. #4Betty25,868
  5. #5Patricia23,916
  6. #6Dorothy17,666
  7. #7Joan17,072
  8. #8Nancy16,755
  9. #9Margaret14,596
  10. #10Carol14,520
  11. #144Joy1,483

Top boys' names in 1936

  1. #1Robert58,500
  2. #2James54,694
  3. #3John47,683
  4. #4William39,398
  5. #5Richard33,494
  6. #6Charles29,101
  7. #7Donald28,639
  8. #8Thomas18,342
  9. #9George18,197
  10. #10David17,476
  11. #893Joy47
More about 1936

girls

1,040,390 girls got a published name in 1936; 1 in 702 of them was named Joy, which outranked 97.0% of the 4,856 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joy
  1. #141Jeanne1,534
  2. #142Vera1,513
  3. #143Mattie1,504
  4. #144Joy1,483
  5. #145Charlene1,482
  6. #146Rosa1,454
  7. #147Lucy1,446
Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,238Shelba#3,742 → #504
  2. ↑ 662Shelby#840 → #178
  3. ↑ 600Wendy#1,418 → #818
  4. ↑ 588Deanna#1,356 → #768
  5. ↑ 546Shari#1,514 → #968
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,028Norita#713 → #1,741
  2. ↓ 506Vernetta#974 → #1,480
  3. ↓ 461Ozella#984 → #1,445
  4. ↓ 400Shirleyann#896 → #1,296
  5. ↓ 342Idell#925 → #1,267

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,037,205 boys got a published name in 1936; 1 in 22,068 of them was named Joy, which outranked 77.9% of the 4,037 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Joy
  1. #882Pierce48
  2. #882Ruby48
  3. #882Verle48
  4. #893Joy47
  5. #893Albin47
  6. #893Allison47
  7. #893Aron47
  8. #906Chauncey46
  9. #906Cleon46
  10. #906Colin46

Tied with 12 names at #893; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. ↑ 802Errol#1,708 → #906
  2. ↑ 644Sergio#1,584 → #940
  3. ↑ 601Brice#1,494 → #893
  4. ↑ 537Windell#1,390 → #853
  5. ↑ 529Kim#1,390 → #861
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,082Stafford#980 → #2,062
  2. ↓ 889Darwyn#750 → #1,639
  3. ↓ 461Hunter#956 → #1,417
  4. ↓ 399Orvil#844 → #1,243
  5. ↓ 370Rosendo#956 → #1,326

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1936 →