Joyce

Joyce is a name that functions as both a surname and a given name. It originates in English from medieval forms such as Joce or Josse, which themselves derive from Old French variants of earlier Germanic names. The given-name Joyce later became widely used for girls in the 19th and 20th centuries, while the surname Joyce has a long history in Britain and Ireland and later spread to other English-speaking regions.

Notable people with the surname Joyce include James Joyce (1882–1941), the Irish novelist celebrated for his work Ulysses and his influence on modern literature. Notable people with the given name Joyce include Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), an American writer; Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918), an American poet; Joyce DeWitt (born 1944), an American actress; and Joyce Meyer (born 1943), an American author and televangelist.

In culture, the name is widely recognized through James Joyce and other literary figures who bear the surname, as well as through its use as a first name for several prominent women in the arts and public life. The name Joyce also appears in place names and in various organizational and brand contexts in English-speaking countries.

Variant spellings of the name include Joice, Joce, Josse, and Jocelyn, reflecting its historical transmission through different languages and regions. Overall, Joyce remains a versatile and historically resonant name in English-speaking cultures.