# Jocelyn (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/jocelyn/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 658 |
| US rank (2010) | 34,427 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 469,218 people |
| Change since 2000 | +29% (512 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɒsəlɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Jocelin, Joselin, Joselyn, Joslyn, Joceline, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline |

## 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).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Jocelyn in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 41% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 49% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.0% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Similar surnames

Joslyn, Joslin.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.