Names That Mean Joy

Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory -- all of which exert a certain amount of personality pressure on a child. One interesting name that means the same thing: Chara.

Chara is the name of a star in a constellation that represents hunting dogs, recently named as one of the most likely to host extraterrestrial life. Also, Chara is a variation of both Sarah and Charlotte.

Prettier than Joy and just beginning to be used here.

Variation of Lowenna - the consonant ending makes this one feel more masculine.

Short form of Adebayo

Lowena is the Cornish word for “joy”. As a given name, it is most commonly spelt as in this entry - Lowenna. Lowen is a lovely unisex option which is closely related: it means “joyful” or “glad”.

Sachi, often short for Sachiko, was given to 25 girls in the US in a recent year. While it is technically Japanese, this short form has an unidentifiably international feel and might be a relative of the stylish Sacha.

Intriguing twist on several familiar names, though many people will mistake this for Elsa, Eliza, and so on.

This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.

Gila and its variants have joyous meanings in Hebrew, but other kids might connect them to the monster.

Roni may sound like the Doowop-era Ronnie or Ronni, often named for her dad Ron, but it's actually a freestanding Hebrew name with an uplifting meaning.

Sachiko was one of the first Japanese names familiar to Americans when it was used in the 1950s by actress Shirley Maclaine for her daughter, called the adorable short form Sachi. While Sachiko does not rank on the US Social Security baby names list, Sachi was given to 25 girls in the most recent year counted.

An Ethiopian name that means "joy."

Has an evocative African beat.

Lowena is the Cornish word for “joy”. As a given name, it is most commonly spelt Lowenna. Another variation is the more unisex Lowen.

A bit masculine in feel.

Too bad everyone in this country will tend to hear Ronnie.

An old favorite in traditional Jewish families.

Aleeza is one of the most energetic of the legion of Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza names. Another spelling of Aleeza: Aliza.