Joyce is a female given name of Irish origin. It is derived from the French word "joie," which means happiness or joy. The name was popularized by Irish writer James Joyce, who used it as the protagonist's name in his novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." Before that, however, the name had already been used in Ireland for centuries, often as a nickname or shortened form of names like Josephine or Joycelyne. Despite its Irish roots and widespread usage in Ireland, Joyce is considered a unisex name and can be given to boys as well. It gained popularity globally during the 20th century, particularly after James Joyce's works became widely known.
The given statistics show the annual number of births with the name "Joyce" in the United States from 1900 to 2023. During this period, there were a total of 2881 babies named Joyce.
The popularity of the name Joyce peaked in the early to mid-20th century. The highest number of births with the name was recorded in 1927, with 78 newborn girls named Joyce. This peak in popularity continued until around 1932, with consistently high numbers of babies named Joyce each year.
However, starting from the late 1940s and onwards, the popularity of the name Joyce began to decline steadily. By the 1960s and 1970s, fewer than 20 girls were named Joyce annually. This trend has continued until today, with less than 10 babies named Joyce each year from 2004 onwards.
Despite this decline in popularity, it's interesting to note that there have been some recent fluctuations in the number of babies named Joyce. For example, in 2015 and 2017, there were more than five births with the name Joyce, suggesting that there might still be a small group of parents who prefer this name for their daughters.
Overall, while the name Joyce was once quite popular in the United States, it has since become much less common. However, as these statistics show, its usage has varied over time and continues to fluctuate today.