Where does the name Jocelyn come from?

Jocelyn is a girl name of Germanic origin.

Is Jocelyn a boy or a girl name?

Jocelyn is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 111,460 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Jocelyn in 2023?

Jocelyn ranks #346 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2007 with 5,293 babies.

How do you pronounce Jocelyn?

Jocelyn is pronounced JOSS-lin (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Jocelyn?

Jocelyn is also written as Joselyn, Jocelin, Joscelyn.

A name from Germanic · Girl

Jocelyn

From a Norman-French form of the Germanic name Gauzlin, possibly meaning 'belonging to the Gauts' (a Germanic tribe). Originally a boys' name in the Middle Ages; entirely feminine in modern usage.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 123-year arc in numbers.

111,460 U.S. births recorded from 1900–2023.

Popularity · 1900–2023

890 births in 2023

1900 1961 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

JFrom a Norman-French form of the Germanic name Gauzlin, possibly meaning 'belonging to the Gauts' (a Germanic tribe). Originally a boys' name in the Middle Ages; entirely feminine in modern usage.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Jocelyn".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Joselyn Most common Jocelin Joscelyn

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Jocelyn.

J
Jocelyn Bell Burnell (discovered pulsars)
J
Jocelyn Wildenstein (socialite)

Quick answers

People often ask about Jocelyn.

What does the name Jocelyn mean?: Jocelyn means from a Norman-French form of the Germanic name Gauzlin, possibly meaning 'belonging to the Gauts' (a Germanic tribe). Originally a boys' name in the Middle Ages; entirely feminine in modern usage.
Where does the name Jocelyn come from?: Jocelyn is a girl name of Germanic origin.
Is Jocelyn a boy or a girl name?: Jocelyn is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 111,460 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Jocelyn in 2023?: Jocelyn ranks #346 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2007 with 5,293 babies.
How do you pronounce Jocelyn?: Jocelyn is pronounced JOSS-lin (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Jocelyn?: Jocelyn is also written as Joselyn, Jocelin, Joscelyn.

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From Old High German Ricohard — rīc, "ruler, power," + hard, "brave, strong" — i

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Walter

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From Old High German Walthari — wald, "rule," + hari, "army" — i

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.