Joely
A feminine given name of English origin, a diminutive form of Josephine.
Name Census estimates that about 1,734 living Americans carry the first name Joely. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Joely today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joely births was 1969 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joely. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 197,667 Americans
Peak year
1969
95 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,935
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Joely: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joely from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 592 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joely by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Joely during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Joelys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Joely, while Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joely
The name Joely has its origins in the Hebrew language, tracing back to ancient times. It is a diminutive form of the name Joel, which means "Yahweh is God" or "Jehovah is God" in Hebrew. The name Joel has biblical roots, appearing in the Old Testament as the name of a prophet who authored the Book of Joel.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Joely can be found in the 13th century, when it was documented as a variant spelling of the name Joel. During this period, the name was primarily used in religious contexts within Jewish and Christian communities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Joely. One of the earliest recorded examples is Joely ben Judah, a 13th-century Jewish philosopher and scholar from Spain. Another prominent figure was Joely de Blancmesnil, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 12th century and played a significant role in the Norman conquest of England.
In the 16th century, Joely de Castellane was a French aristocrat and military leader who fought in the Italian Wars. Moving forward to the 18th century, Joely Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, was a British naval officer and politician who served as First Lord of the Admiralty.
Another notable figure was Joely Bynner, an American poet and translator who lived from 1879 to 1958. Bynner was known for his works inspired by Eastern philosophy and his translations of Chinese poetry.
While the name Joely has roots in Hebrew and religious contexts, it has gained popularity as a given name across various cultures and regions over the centuries. These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried this distinctive name throughout history.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Joely
People
Joely + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joely as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Joely: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joely?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,734 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joely going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 197,667 US residents.
Is Joely a common name?
We classify Joely as "Rare". It ranks above 93.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,807 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joely most popular?
The single biggest year for Joely was 1969, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joely is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joely a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Joely in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.