Joy

See also: joy

English

Etymology

From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.

Pronunciation

• enPR: joi, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɔɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪ
• Homophone: joy

Proper noun

Joy

1. A female given name from English.
   • 1789, William Blake, Infant Joy:

     "I have no name: / I am but two days old." / What shall I call thee? / "I happy am, / Joy is my name." / Sweet joy befall thee!

   • 1857, Dinah Craik, John Halifax, Gentleman, Chapter XXI:

     She was named Muriel — after the rather peculiar name of John's mother. Her own mother would have it so; only wishing out of her full heart, happy one! that there should be a slight alteration made in the second name. Therefore the baby was called Muriel Joy — Muriel Joy Halifax.

   • 2009, Princess Kasune Zulu, Warrior Princess, IVP Books, →ISBN, page 80:

     All the while, our baby Joyce was growing to be a very outgoing baby. ( - - - ) Given the joy we felt watching her grow and from our connection to the church, the name Joy seemed appropriate for our baby girl. Soon that's what we shortened it to, and what she is known by to this day.

2. A surname.

Related terms

• Mount Joy

Translations

female given name

• Greek: Χαρά (el) (Chará)
• Italian: Gioia (it)

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Joy is the 2684th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 13,413 individuals. Joy is most common among White (78.1%) and Black/African American (8.4%) individuals. [1]

Cebuano

Etymology

Borrowed from English Joy.

Proper noun

Joy

1. a female given name from English

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English Joy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoj/, [ˈd͡ʒoɪ̯]

Proper noun

Joy (Baybayin spelling ᜇ᜔ᜌᜓᜌ᜔)

1. a female given name from English