Names That Mean Joy
Joy is a little different from happiness: it’s the burst of delight, the laugh, the song. That’s why so many “joy” names are tied to singing (Hebrew Rina and Ronit), rejoicing (Zulu Thokozani, Sotho Thabiso) or laughter (Isaac literally means “he will laugh”).
Here are more than 90 names that genuinely mean joy, delight or laughter, grouped by origin so you can find one that fits your family’s heritage. If you’re after names that mean cheerful or fortunate, see our list of names that mean happy. Parents of a long-awaited baby often also like our names that mean blessed and names that mean gift.
European names that mean joy
From the plain English virtue name Joy to Italian Gioia and the Greek Grace Euphrosyne, these are the Western classics. More vintage picks are in our vintage girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Joy | English virtue name | English |
| Jubilee | English, “a time of rejoicing,” from Hebrew yovel | English |
| Gioia | Italian, “joy” | Italian |
| Alegría | Spanish, “joy, cheerfulness” | Spanish |
| Gaudencio | Spanish, from Latin Gaudentius, “rejoicing” | Spanish |
| Chara | Greek, “joy” | Greek |
| Euphrosyne | Greek, “mirth, merriment”; one of the three Graces | Greek |
| Wynn | Old English wynn, “joy” | English |
| Radost | Bulgarian and Serbian, “joy” | Slavic |
| Radostina | Bulgarian, “joy” | Bulgarian |
| Radovan | Slavic, from rad, “glad, joyful” | Slavic |
| Džiugas | Lithuanian, “joy” | Lithuanian |
| Ilo | Finnish, “joy” | Finnish |
Hebrew names that mean joy
Hebrew has several words for joy, and many of them double as “song” (rina, ron), because rejoicing and singing go together in the Psalms. Browse more in Hebrew names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Gila | “Joy” | Girl |
| Gilat | “Joy” | Girl |
| Gil | “Joy” | Boy |
| Rina | “Joy, joyful song” | Girl |
| Rinat | “Joyful song” | Girl |
| Ronit | “Joy, song” | Girl |
| Rona | “Joy, song” | Girl |
| Ranit | “Joy, song” | Girl |
| Rani | “My joy, my song” | Unisex |
| Ron | “Song, joy” | Boy |
| Ronen | “Singing, joyful” | Boy |
| Liron | “Joy is mine” or “song is mine” | Unisex |
| Aliza | “Joyful” | Girl |
| Simcha | “Joy, gladness” | Unisex |
| Sasson | “Joy, rejoicing” (Isaiah 35:10) | Boy |
| Edna | “Pleasure, delight” | Girl |
Arabic, Persian and Turkish names meaning joy
Arabic afrah (“joys”) and surur (“delight”) are popular for girls and boys alike. Find more in our Muslim girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Afrah | Arabic, “joys, celebrations” | Girl |
| Masarrah | Arabic, “joy, delight” | Girl |
| Surur | Arabic, “joy, delight” | Boy |
| Hana | Arabic, “bliss, happiness” | Girl |
| Bushra | Arabic, “glad tidings, good news” | Girl |
| Behjat | Persian, “joy, delight” | Unisex |
| Farahnaz | Persian, “joy” + “grace” | Girl |
| Shadman | Persian, “joyful, glad” | Boy |
| Sevinç | Turkish, “joy” | Girl |
| Şenay | Turkish, “joyful moon” | Girl |
Indian names that mean joy and bliss
Ananda (bliss) is one of the central ideas in Hindu thought, and the root nand, “to rejoice,” gives Nandini and Nandan. More in Indian boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Anand | Sanskrit, “bliss, joy” | Boy |
| Ananda | Sanskrit, “bliss”; also the Buddha’s cousin and disciple | Unisex |
| Anandi | Sanskrit, “joyful” | Girl |
| Anandita | Sanskrit, “full of joy” | Girl |
| Anandamayi | Sanskrit, “permeated with joy” | Girl |
| Pramod | Sanskrit, “delight, joy” | Boy |
| Pramoda | Sanskrit, “joyful” | Girl |
| Ullas | Sanskrit, “joy, delight” | Boy |
| Nanda | Sanskrit, “joy”; Krishna’s foster father | Unisex |
| Nandini | Sanskrit, “one who delights” | Girl |
| Nandan | Sanskrit, “son; one who brings joy” | Boy |
| Nandita | Sanskrit, “delighted, joyful” | Girl |
| Prahlad | Sanskrit, “great joy” | Boy |
East Asian and Hawaiian names that mean joy
Japanese 悦 (etsu) and Chinese 悦 (yue) share the same character for joy. Hawaiian names add the softer sense of pleasure and delight.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Etsuko | Japanese 悦子, “joyful child” | Girl |
| Yoshie | Japanese 喜恵, “joy” + “blessing” | Girl |
| Yue | Chinese 悦, “joy, delight” | Unisex |
| Xin | Chinese 欣, “joyful, glad” | Unisex |
| Xinyue | Chinese 欣悦, “joyful, delighted” | Girl |
| Xi | Chinese 喜, “joy, happiness” | Unisex |
| Gippeum | Native Korean, “joy” | Girl |
| Leʻa | Hawaiian, “joy, pleasure” | Girl |
| Olina | Hawaiian, “joyful, happy” | Girl |
| Kalea | Hawaiian, “joy, happiness” | Girl |
African names that mean joy
Many Yoruba names begin with Ayo (“joy”) and celebrate the child’s arrival; Southern African names often mean “rejoice.” See more in African girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Ayo | Yoruba, “joy” | Unisex |
| Ayodele | Yoruba, “joy has come home” | Unisex |
| Ayomide | Yoruba, “my joy has come” | Unisex |
| Ayotunde | Yoruba, “joy has returned” | Unisex |
| Ayobami | Yoruba, “joy met me” | Unisex |
| Ayodeji | Yoruba, “joy has doubled” | Boy |
| Idunnu | Yoruba, “joy” | Girl |
| Anuli | Igbo, “joy” | Girl |
| Thabiso | Sotho and Tswana, “joy, bringing joy” | Boy |
| Nthabeleng | Sotho, “rejoice for me” | Girl |
| Mathabo | Sotho, “mother of joy” | Girl |
| Thokozani | Zulu, “rejoice, be joyful” | Boy |
| Thokozile | Zulu, “joyful” | Girl |
| Vuyo | Xhosa, “joy” | Boy |
| Vuyani | Xhosa, “rejoice” | Boy |
| Vuyolwethu | Xhosa, “our joy” | Unisex |
| Vuyiswa | Xhosa, “one made joyful” | Girl |
| Desta | Amharic, “joy” | Unisex |
| Hagos | Tigrinya, “joy, happiness” | Boy |
Names that mean laughter and smiling
Laughter is joy you can hear. Isaac is the most famous example: Sarah laughed when she learned she would have a son (Genesis 18 and 21). More biblical picks are in biblical boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac | Hebrew Yitzhak, “he will laugh” | Hebrew |
| Yitzhak | “He will laugh,” the Hebrew form of Isaac | Hebrew |
| Gelasius | Greek, “laughing”; a 5th-century pope | Greek / Latin |
| Basima | Arabic, “smiling” | Arabic |
| Bassam | Arabic, “always smiling” | Arabic |
| Khandan | Persian, “laughing, smiling” | Persian |
| Gülen | Turkish, “smiling, laughing” | Turkish |
| Muskaan | Hindi and Urdu, “smile” | South Asian |
| Smita | Sanskrit, “smiling” | Indian |
| Hasini | Sanskrit, “laughing, delightful” | Indian |
| Emiko | Can be written 笑子, “smiling child” | Japanese |
| Emi | Can be written 笑, “smile” | Japanese |
How to choose a joyful name
- Say it out loud with enthusiasm; the best joy names are fun to call across a playground, like Gioia (JOY-ah) or Ayo.
- If you want a subtle meaning, pick a name whose joy isn’t obvious in English, such as Wynn, Chara or Desta.
- Honor a family story: Isaac and Yitzhak suit a baby who came after years of waiting, like the biblical Isaac.
- Joy and Gil make easy middle names. Our one-syllable middle names list has more.
- Build a sibling set with related meanings from names that mean love or names that mean hope.
Frequently asked questions
What names mean joy?
Popular names that mean joy include Joy, Gioia (Italian), Gila and Rina (Hebrew), Chara (Greek), Anand (Sanskrit), Ayodele (Yoruba) and Desta (Amharic).
What boy name means joy?
Gil, Ron and Sasson (Hebrew), Anand and Pramod (Sanskrit), Radovan (Slavic), Vuyo (Xhosa), Thabiso (Sotho) and Hagos (Tigrinya).
Does Joyce mean joy?
Not originally. Joyce comes from the Breton name Iudoc, “lord,” though it has long been associated with the English word joy.
What Hebrew name means joy?
Gila, Gilat, Rina, Ronit, Aliza and Simcha all mean joy in Hebrew. Gil and Ron are short boy options.
Which name means “joy has come home”?
Ayodele, a Yoruba name from Nigeria, means “joy has come home” and is used for boys and girls.