Josslyn
Feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps a contracted form of Joseph or Jocelyn.
Name Census estimates that about 2,131 living Americans carry the first name Josslyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Josslyn today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Josslyn births was 2011 (179 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Josslyn. 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.
Key insights
- • Josslyn is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 160,842 Americans
Peak year
2011
179 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,505
Tracked since 1953
Popularity
Josslyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Josslyn from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,217 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Josslyn 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 Josslyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Josslyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Josslyn, while Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Josslyn
The name Josslyn is an English variant of the French name Jocelyn, which is derived from the medieval diminutive form of the name Joscelin. The name Joscelin itself is believed to have originated from the Germanic name Gautselinus, which was composed of the elements "gaut" (meaning "Goth" or "Geat") and "selin" (meaning "hall" or "bright").
The name Joscelin first appeared in historical records in the 11th century, during the period of the Norman Conquest of England. It was introduced to England by Norman settlers and quickly gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Joscelin de Louvain, a Norman nobleman who was appointed Bishop of Soissons in France in the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, the name Joscelin appeared in various literary works, including the writings of the medieval poet and chronicler Wace. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Joscelin III, Count of Edessa, who played a key role in the Crusades and was known for his military exploits in the Holy Land.
Over the centuries, the name Josslyn (and its variants) has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll (c. 1516-1594), a Scottish nobleman and Lord High Constable of Scotland.
2. Jocelyn Percy (1784-1856), an English naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Jocelyn Brooke (1908-1966), an English novelist and travel writer, best known for his works "The Military Philosophers" and "The Scapegoat."
4. Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), an Irish astrophysicist who co-discovered the first radio pulsars, a significant breakthrough in the study of neutron stars.
5. Jocelyn Broderick (born 1973), a Filipino-American actress and model, known for her roles in films like "The Great Raid" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."
While the name Josslyn has its roots in medieval Europe, it has evolved over time and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. Today, it is a unisex name, though it is more commonly used for girls.
People
Josslyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Josslyn 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
Josslyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Josslyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,131 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Josslyn 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 160,842 US residents.
Is Josslyn a common name?
We classify Josslyn as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,156 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Josslyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Josslyn was 2011, when 179 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Josslyn is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Josslyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Josslyn 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.