Names That Mean Joyful
Across 2 pages
of 2
The names
Abigail
Hebrew
"my father is joyful"
Abigail has been in for so long -- the name has ranked in the US Top 100 since the late 1980s -- it's amazing that it isn't more out by now. But Abigail's biblical and historic roots make it a…
Aliza
Hebrew
"joyful"
Aliza might seem like yet another variation of the eternal Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza loop, but it's a distinct name all its own. The z adds zip.
Abby
Diminutive of Abigail, Hebrew
"my father is joyful"
Gently old-fashioned stand-alone nickname that owes its popularity to mega popular Abigail.
Abbie
Diminutive of Abigail
"my father is joyful"
Abbie is a gently old-fashioned nickname name that owes its rising popularity to Top 10 Abigail. Abby may be the more usual spelling today.
Abbigail
Spelling variation of Abigail, Hebrew
"my father is joyful"
A fast-rising variation of Abigail that was shooting up the popularity charts a few years ago, but whose star is now falling now that Abigail is not quite as hot as she once was.
Gay
French
"joyful"
The meaning of this word flipped from "cheerful" to "homosexual" during the twentieth century, and it's now almost certainly too loaded to sit comfortably as a baby name. Which is a shame as…
Leta
Latin
"glad, joyful"
Leta has hipster cred as the daughter of cool mommy blogger Dooce. Related to the Greek mythological Leda, a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy, Leta is a name that's as…
Gay
French
"joyful"
The meaning of this word flipped from "cheerful" to "homosexual" during the twentieth century, and it's now almost certainly too loaded to sit comfortably as a baby name. Which is a shame as…
Hani
Arabic; Hawaiian
"light-footed, to move softly, to touch; joyful"
Sweet multicultural name.
Ronja
Swedish literary name
Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren invented the name Ronja for her book Ronja, the Robber's Daughter . She was inspired by the lake Juronjaure, located in Norrbotten, Sweden. Lindgren's…
Xiamara
Feminine variation of Guiomar, Spanish, Portuguese
"famous in battle"
The longer form of Xia is more rhythmic but also more problematic.
Faine
English
"joyful"
Faine is a very unusual one-syllable option.
Ronia
Hebrew
"God's joyful song"
Hebrew name related to Ronit and Roni, also used in different cultures as Ronya, Ronja, and Roniya. Virtually unknown in the English-speaking world though certainly an easily-translatable choice.
Preeda
Thai
"joyful"
This name has a sound that seems to match its meaning.
Euroa
Indigenous Australian
"joyful"
In the language of the Ngurelban people, 'Yera-o' is said to mean "joyful". This Anglicization is reminiscent of other feminine names like Eulalia and could work well for those looking for a less…
Jolly
English word name and surname
"joyful"
This cheerful name would be a fun seasonal choice of middle name for a child born around the holidays — or as a pet name for a dog or cat adopted during the Christmas season. Jolly has been used as a…
Leto
Italian surname
"happy; joyful"
Leto Atreides is the father of protagonist Paul of the Dune franchise. Other parents may use this name for its connection to actor and musician Jared Leto. In Greek mythology, Leto is the female name…
Happy
English word name
"joyful"
Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to…
Etsuko
Japanese
"joyful child"
Avigail
Variation of Abigail
"my father is joyful"
Though Abigail has long been a very popular girls' name in the US, modern Hebrew form Avigail is rare here but among the Top 10 girls' names in Israel.

