The Joy surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,413 people carried this name — #2,684 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 12,741 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 15 births for the Joy name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Waterford.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 72 people named Joy.
6 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 19 départements, most often Loire.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
24 people named Joy live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
42 people named Joy is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Who carried it
People named Joy,
with a public archive behind them.
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Jacob Joy 1645–1691
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Jacob Joy 1647–1691
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William Joy 1675–1734 · strongman
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William Joy 1675–1734 · strongman
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Francis Joy 1697–1790 · printer
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Henry Joy 1754–1835
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Joy.
- Journet 407 · U.S. census
- Jovanovic 1,521 · U.S. census
- Jove 366 · U.S. census
- Jover 199 · U.S. census
- Jovic 404 · U.S. census
- Jovin 187 · U.S. census
- Joye 1,268 · U.S. census
- Joyer 111 · U.S. census
- Jozefiak 204 · U.S. census
- Jozwiak 2,023 · U.S. census
- Juan 7,350 · U.S. census
- Juanico 214 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Joy is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.