Explore the Family Name Joyce
The meaning of Joyce
1. English: principally from the Middle English and Old French personal name Joce, Josse, Joice, a Romance form of Old Breton Iuthoc, a pet form of a name in Iuth- ‘lord’ with the hypocoristic suffix -oc. Joce became popular as a personal name, especially in medieval Picardy, Artois, Normandy, and Flanders, through the cult of Saint Josse. According to legend, he was the brother or son of the 7th-century Breton king Judhael (see Jewell), and gave up his inheritance to become a hermit in the place recorded in the 8th century as Sanctus Jodocus, now Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, near Étaples in Pas-de-Calais. The cult was promoted in the second half of the 8th century by the Frankish king Charlemagne, and was brought to England (Winchester) in the early 10th century by refugees from Saint-Josse, the center of the cult, but use of the personal name in England is not known until after the Norman Conquest. Middle English Joce also was sometimes used as a female name (as Joyce is in modern times) and this may have also given rise to a surname. 2. English: sometimes a variant of Goss, from the ancient Germanic personal name Gozzo, Gauz, which often became Joce, Joice, Joss(e) in Old French. It was frequently used as a short form of Goscelin or Joscelin (see Joslin). 3. English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Jort in Calvados, France. It is not certain that this surname has survived into the modern period. 4. Irish: of Norman origin, from Joce or Joice (see 1 above), Gaelicized as Seóigh or Seóigheach in Ireland, where it has been established since the 12th century. The distribution of this name is concentrated in counties Galway and Mayo and gave rise to the eponymous district of Joyce Country (Dúiche Sheoigheach), located along the border between those two counties. Joy is another Anglicized form of this name, usually confined to County Kerry, Ireland. 5. English (of French Huguenot origin): from French Josse, identical in origin with 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Bridie, Declan, Eamon, Kieran, Liam, Brian Patrick, Conor, Cormac, John Patrick, Nuala, Siobhan.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Joyce in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Joyce has slightly decreased in ranking from 2000 to 2010, dropping by about 7.81% from rank 948 to 1022. However, the actual count of people with this surname has seen a slight increase of 0.85%, from 33,843 in 2000 to 34,132 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also reflects this decline in popularity, falling from 12.55 in 2000 to 11.57 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #948 | #1,022 | -7.81% |
| Count | 33,843 | 34,132 | 0.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.55 | 11.57 | -7.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Joyce
Turning to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that individuals identifying as White make up the majority of those with the Joyce surname, although their share fell somewhat between 2000 and 2010, from 89.32% to 87.83%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic representation among those named Joyce saw the most significant growth, increasing by 57.38% over the same period. There was also a considerable increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and as having two or more races, with increases of 40.82% and 28.21% respectively. Black representation also grew slightly from 7.51% to 7.83%. The only group to see a decrease was American Indian and Alaskan Native, dropping by 24.14%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.32% | 87.83% | -1.67% |
| Black | 7.51% | 7.83% | 4.26% |
| Hispanic | 1.22% | 1.92% | 57.38% |
| Two or More Races | 1.17% | 1.5% | 28.21% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.69% | 40.82% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.29% | 0.22% | -24.14% |
Joyce ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Joyce is British & Irish, which comprises 60.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (15.1%) and Eastern European (6.4%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.4% |
| French & German | 15.1% |
| Eastern European | 6.4% |
| Other | 18.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Joyce
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Joyce have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
What Joyce haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Joyce is R-S24902, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S24902 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M167 and R-M417, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: London, Martin, Klatt, Bush, Cox, Hall, Browne, Cook, Brown, Gray.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Joyce surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Joyce have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Joyce" Surname 43.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Joyce" Surname 23.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Joyce" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Joyce" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Joyce?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Joyce are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition