Joshlyn
A feminization of the masculine name Joshua, meaning "Yahweh is salvation".
Name Census estimates that about 1,240 living Americans carry the first name Joshlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Joshlyn today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joshlyn births was 2008 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joshlyn. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 276,415 Americans
Peak year
2008
55 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1983 SSA rank
#6,760
Tracked since 1951
Gender
Gender distribution for Joshlyn
Out of the 1,294 babies given the name Joshlyn since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Joshlyn as a male name
- Ranked #6,760 in 1983
- 5 male births in 1983
- Peak: 1983 (5 births)
Joshlyn as a female name
- Ranked #14,221 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (55 births)
Popularity
Joshlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joshlyn from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 413 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
Joshlyn 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 Joshlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Joshlyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Joshlyn, while New York, Louisiana, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joshlyn
The given name Joshlyn is a relatively modern name that emerged in the English-speaking world in the late 20th century. While its precise origins are unclear, it is believed to be a combination of the Hebrew name Joshua and the English suffix -lyn, which is a variant of the more common -line, meaning "little." As such, Joshlyn could be interpreted as a diminutive form of Joshua, meaning "Yahweh is salvation" or "God is generous."
The earliest recorded use of Joshlyn as a first name dates back to the 1970s in the United States and Canada. It initially gained popularity as a feminine name, possibly inspired by the trend of feminizing traditionally masculine names by adding a suffix like -lyn or -lynn. Joshlyn was occasionally given to boys as well, though its use as a masculine name was less common.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Joshlyn was Joshlyn Singleton, an American singer and actress born in 1976. She is best known for her roles in television shows like "Boston Public" and "The District" in the early 2000s.
Another early bearer of the name was Joshlyn Bryant, an American dancer and choreographer born in 1980. She gained recognition for her work on the hit TV series "So You Think You Can Dance" and has choreographed for various music artists and stage productions.
In the literary world, Joshlyn Jackson is an American author known for her novels "Gods in Alabama" (2005) and "Backseat Saints" (2010), which explore themes of family, identity, and the complexities of Southern culture.
On the international stage, Joshlyn Galloway is a Canadian singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the pop group Lillix. She later pursued a solo career and released several albums, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
While not as widespread as some other names, Joshlyn has found a niche in various parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in North America. It offers a unique and modern twist on the more traditional Joshua, reflecting the ongoing evolution of naming practices and cultural influences.
People
Joshlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joshlyn 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
Joshlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joshlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,240 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joshlyn 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 276,415 US residents.
Is Joshlyn a common name?
We classify Joshlyn as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,294 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joshlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Joshlyn was 2008, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joshlyn is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joshlyn a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Joshlyn 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.