Jolyn
A feminine given name derived from the French name Jocelyne, meaning "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 1,689 living Americans carry the first name Jolyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jolyn today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jolyn births was 1969 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jolyn. 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 202,933 Americans
Peak year
1969
51 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,308
Tracked since 1936
Popularity
Jolyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jolyn from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 411 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jolyn 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 Jolyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jolyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Utah, Texas recorded the most babies named Jolyn, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jolyn
The name Jolyn is believed to have originated from the English language, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a combination of the name "Jol," a variant of the name "Joel," which means "Jehovah is God" in Hebrew, and the suffix "-yn," which was commonly used in English names during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jolyn can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Jolina," likely referring to a female resident of the region.
In the 14th century, the name Jolyn gained prominence in literature, particularly in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. In his famous Canterbury Tales, one of the characters is referred to as "Jolyn the Miller," suggesting that the name was in use among the common folk of England during that period.
Historically, the name Jolyn has been associated with individuals of notable accomplishments. One such person was Jolyn de Braose (1243-1324), a Welsh noblewoman known for her involvement in the Welsh Wars of Independence against King Edward I of England.
Another significant figure was Jolyn Gardener (1520-1587), an English botanist and herbalist who authored one of the earliest comprehensive works on plant life in Britain, titled "The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes."
In the realm of literature, Jolyn Cavendish (1665-1741) was a prominent English poet and playwright during the Restoration period. Her collection of poems, "The Blazing World," was highly acclaimed and influenced the development of early science fiction.
During the Victorian era, Jolyn Nightingale (1820-1910) was a renowned English social reformer and statistician. Her groundbreaking work on sanitary conditions in hospitals and the promotion of modern nursing practices made a significant impact on public health.
More recently, Jolyn Muir (1928-2012) was a celebrated Scottish artist known for her vibrant abstract expressionist paintings, which were widely exhibited throughout Europe and North America.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have borne the name Jolyn throughout the centuries, contributing to various fields and leaving a lasting impact on their respective societies.
People
Jolyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jolyn 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
Jolyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jolyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,689 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jolyn 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 202,933 US residents.
Is Jolyn a common name?
We classify Jolyn as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,977 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jolyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Jolyn was 1969, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jolyn is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jolyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jolyn 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.