Total births
509,332
Girls' name · since 1882
Joyce
509,332 babies named Joyce in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1942. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1041
- among girls today
- 509,332
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Joyce currently ranks #1041 among girls' names in America, with 509,332 babies recorded since 1882.
Social Security Administration records show Joyce recorded 509,332 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #1041 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1041 among girls today
- 509,332 born since 1882
- 1940s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Joyce is currently the #1041 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 509,332 born since 1882, peaking in the 1940s.
- #1041
- among girls today
- 509,332
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Joyce vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1041
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
30% of everyone ever named Joyce was born in this single decade.
1942
Single peak year
16,728 babies were named Joyce in 1942 - its busiest year on record.
How Joyce compares
509,332 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Joyce's all-time total is 1,333x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Joyce | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 509,332 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,728 | 48 | 19,840 |
Joyce's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Joyce splits its recorded history at 1955: 25% of all births land in the more recent half, 75% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1883 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1942 peak of 16,728 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Joyce at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1942
Current rank
#1,041
Active since
1882
Joyce popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 16,728
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Joyce popularity over time - boys
2,900 total births recorded since 1900 (Joyce as boys' name)
Joyce by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Joyce's strongest decade.
151,494 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Joyce births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 50
1880s
50 births
- 1890s 268
1890s
268 births
- 1900s 737
1900s
737 births
- 1910s 6,141
1910s
6,141 births
- 1920s 44,174
1920s
44,174 births
- 1930s
1930s
115,506 births
- 1940s
1940s
151,494 births
- 1950s
1950s
114,984 births
- 1960s 46,125
1960s
46,125 births
- 1970s 11,992
1970s
11,992 births
- 1980s 5,908
1980s
5,908 births
- 1990s 3,910
1990s
3,910 births
- 2000s 3,376
2000s
3,376 births
- 2010s 3,159
2010s
3,159 births
- 2020s 1,508
2020s
1,508 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 151,494 births (30% of all-time use).
How Joyce compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Joyce's total volume
Joyce vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Joyce by state
Where Joyce concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 36,365 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 30,385 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 27,894 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 27,511 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Texas | | 26,264 | 5.2% |
| #6 | California | | 24,672 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 24,405 | 4.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 18,351 | 3.6% |
New York share of Joyce's total US births 7.1%
Even split
36,365 of 509,332 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Joyce appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Joyce? ▼
Joyce has been given to 509,332 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1041 as of the latest data. 16,728 babies were born in 1942, its single highest year.
When was Joyce most popular? ▼
Joyce was most popular in the 1940s decade with 151,494 total births. The single peak year was 1942.
Where is Joyce most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Joyce are New York (36,365 births), Pennsylvania (30,385 births), Ohio (27,894 births).
How long has the name Joyce been used? ▼
Joyce has been recorded in Social Security data since 1882, spanning 144 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Joyce? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Joy, Joycelyn, Joye, Joya, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Joyce's data
- Joyce's decade-level peak was the 1940s (151,494 total births); usage has since declined to 1,508 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Joyces (36,365 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Joyce
Nearby Names Like Joyce
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Joyce
Joy Girl
#441 140,694 births
Joycelyn Girl
#8013 6,622 births
Joye Girl
3,473 births
Joya Girl
#6975 1,796 births
Joyanna Girl
#12402 772 births
Compare Joyce side by side: Joyce vs Joy Joyce vs Joycelyn Joyce vs Joye
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Joyce
Mariel #1040
7,482 births · Peak 2025
Arden #1042
7,518 births · Peak 2015
Maizie #1039
3,050 births · Peak 2025
Maite #1043
4,466 births · Peak 2011
Cadence #1038
22,430 births · Peak 2007
Renee #1044
185,896 births · Peak 1964
Julissa #1037
25,888 births · Peak 2006
Beverly #1045
378,561 births · Peak 1953
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Joyce: #1041 Girls' Name - 509,332 Births, Peak 1942." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/joyce. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Joyce draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.