Joycelene
A feminine name deriving from the French name Jocelyne meaning "cheerful".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Joycelene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Joycelene today is around 91 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joycelene births was 1934 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joycelene. 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
- • The typical person named Joycelene is about 91 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Joycelenes were born before 1945.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Joycelene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1934
8 babies that year
Average age
91
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,618
Tracked since 1932
Popularity
Joycelene: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Joycelene 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 Joycelene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 25 | 25 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Joycelene
The name Joycelene is a relatively modern feminine given name, likely derived from the combination of the English names Joyce and Celene. Its origins can be traced back to the late 19th or early 20th century.
The name Joyce has its roots in the Old French word "jois," meaning "joy" or "delight." It was initially a masculine name but later gained popularity as a feminine name as well. Celene, on the other hand, is a variation of the name Celina, which originates from the Greek name Kalyāni, meaning "heavenly" or "celestial."
While there are no known historical references or appearances of the name Joycelene in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is a relatively modern creation, likely emerging in the English-speaking world in the early 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Joycelene can be found in the United States census records from the 1920s, although it was still quite rare at that time. Some notable individuals who have borne the name Joycelene throughout history include:
1. Joycelene Fewell (born 1952), an American actress and singer known for her roles in various television shows and films in the 1970s and 1980s.
2. Joycelene Akalaitis (born 1944), a American theatre director and writer known for her experimental and avant-garde productions.
3. Joycelene Buie (born 1964), a former American professional basketball player who played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) and the American Basketball Association (ABA).
4. Joycelene Pryor (born 1963), an American former professional basketball player who played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) and the American Basketball Association (ABA).
5. Joycelene Alford (born 1957), an American former professional basketball player who played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) and the American Basketball Association (ABA).
The name Joycelene has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, but its unique blend of joy and celestial connotations has likely contributed to its enduring appeal as a feminine given name in the English-speaking world.
People
Joycelene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joycelene 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
Joycelene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joycelene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joycelene 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Joycelene a common name?
We classify Joycelene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joycelene most popular?
The single biggest year for Joycelene was 1934, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joycelene is about 91 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Joycelene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Joycelene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Joycelene 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.
Is Joycelene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Joycelene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Joycelene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Joycelene?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.