# Joyce (surname)

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

An English and Irish 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) | 34,132 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,022 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 9,046 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.9% (33,843 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒɔɪs/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Choyce |

## Etymology

Medieval (Middle English) given name from Old French Josse, name of a seventh century saint Latinized as Iodocus, from Breton Iodoc, diminutive of iudh (“lord”), from Proto-Celtic *yowdos.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Joyce 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) | 88% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 7.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Joyce in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Joyce

- Alice Joyce, American actress (1890-1955)
- Brenda Joyce, American film actress (1917–2009)
- William Joyce, American children's writer (born 1957)
- Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- Kara Lynn Joyce, American swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, world champion
- Colin Joyce, American bicycle racer
- Phallon Tullis-Joyce, American soccer player
- Rebecca Joyce, Australian rower
- Elaine Joyce, American actress (born 1945)
- Peggy Hopkins Joyce, American actress, model and dancer (1893–1957)
- Kevin Joyce, American basketball player (born 1951)
- David Joyce, American politician

and 8 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Jose, Jock, Jack, Jasso, Joshi, Jacks, Josey, Jessee, Jessie, Jesse, Joshua, Jeske.

## 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.