# Jocelyn (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jocelyn/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “a geat”, “a goth” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɒsəlɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Joss |
| Variant spellings | Jocelin, Joselin, Joselyn, Joslyn, Joceline, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Yoselin, Yoselyn |
| US babies named this | 113,412 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 351 / 113,061 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,147, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From the Middle English male given name from Old French Joscelin, German Gautzelin, diminutive of names beginning with the tribal name Gaut (“a Geat, a Goth”), the root form of which probably comes from Proto-Germanic *Gautalinþiz (from *gautaz + *linþaz); also used as a diminutive form of the Breton name Josse (= Joyce). It survived as a surname and was revived as a given name in the nineteenth century. * Jocelyn is currently popular among U.S. Hispanics, and in the Philippines, by folk etymology explained as a feminine diminutive form of José (Joseph).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,731 | 71 |
| 2012 | 3,232 | 93 |
| 2013 | 3,152 | 99 |
| 2014 | 2,764 | 115 |
| 2015 | 2,453 | 133 |
| 2016 | 2,105 | 147 |
| 2017 | 1,843 | 163 |
| 2018 | 1,560 | 196 |
| 2019 | 1,520 | 200 |
| 2020 | 1,147 | 269 |
| 2021 | 1,093 | 293 |
| 2022 | 1,017 | 315 |
| 2023 | 890 | 346 |
| 2024 | 813 | 389 |
| 2025 | 788 | 393 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 10 | 5,851 |
| 1998 | 12 | 5,291 |
| 1999 | 12 | 5,478 |
| 2000 | 10 | 6,557 |
| 2001 | 6 | 9,857 |
| 2002 | 6 | 9,984 |
| 2003 | 6 | 10,181 |
| 2004 | 16 | 5,117 |
| 2005 | 16 | 5,150 |
| 2006 | 6 | 11,287 |
| 2007 | 11 | 7,329 |
| 2008 | 8 | 9,398 |
| 2009 | 10 | 7,980 |
| 2012 | 5 | 13,159 |
| 2016 | 6 | 11,370 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 49 | 766 |
| 2012 | 32 | 1,075 |
| 2013 | 46 | 825 |
| 2014 | 47 | 814 |
| 2015 | 50 | 775 |
| 2016 | 50 | 782 |
| 2017 | 49 | 797 |
| 2018 | 43 | 864 |
| 2019 | 37 | 955 |
| 2020 | 42 | 853 |
| 2021 | 32 | 1,069 |
| 2022 | 32 | 1,058 |
| 2023 | 22 | 1,410 |
| 2024 | 25 | 1,302 |
| 2025 | 15 | 1,892 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4 | 2,357 |
| 1998 | 5 | 2,074 |
| 1999 | 7 | 1,664 |
| 2002 | 5 | 2,254 |
| 2003 | 4 | 2,857 |
| 2004 | 5 | 2,578 |
| 2006 | 6 | 2,538 |
| 2008 | 4 | 3,687 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,023 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |

## In other languages

- Armenian: Ժոսլին
- Chinese: 喬斯林 /乔斯林, 喬斯琳 /乔斯琳
- French: Jocelyn, Josselin, Jocelyne, Josseline
- Portuguese: Juscelino
- Italian: Gioselina

## People named Jocelyn

- Jocelyn Bell Burnell, British astrophysicist (born 1943)
- Jocelyn Angloma, French football player and manager
- Jocelyn Pook, Composer, pianist
- Jocelyn Brando, American actress (1919–2005)
- Jocelyn Quivrin, French actor (1979–2009)
- Jocelyn Rae, British tennis player
- Jocelyn Delecour, French athlete
- Jocelyn Blanchard, French footballer
- Jocelyn Gourvennec, French football manager (born 1972)
- Jocelyn Brown, American musician
- Jocelyn Burdick, American politician (1922–2019)
- Jocelyn Moorhouse, Australian film director

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.