Lajoy
A name of possible French origin meaning "the joy" or "happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the first name Lajoy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lajoy today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lajoy births was 1980 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lajoy. 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
227
~ 1 in 1,509,931 Americans
Peak year
1980
14 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,600
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Lajoy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lajoy from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 103 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lajoy 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 Lajoy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lajoy
The name Lajoy is of obscure origin, with no clear consensus on its linguistic roots or cultural background. It is an uncommon name, and its usage throughout history is sparse and scattered.
One theory suggests that Lajoy may have its origins in an ancient Indo-Aryan language, potentially derived from a combination of the Sanskrit words "laj" meaning "shame" or "modesty" and "jaya" meaning "victory" or "triumph." If this etymology is accurate, the name could carry a symbolic meaning of overcoming shyness or timidity.
Another theory proposes that Lajoy is a variation of the French name "Lajoie," which translates to "the joy" or "the happiness." This would imply a more positive connotation, perhaps reflecting a joyful or cheerful disposition.
In terms of historical records, the earliest known mention of the name Lajoy can be traced back to the 16th century. A person named Lajoy Beaumont is documented in a French parish record from 1573, though little else is known about this individual.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Lajoy was Lajoy Cavaignac, a French military officer and politician who lived from 1773 to 1855. He served as a general during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of the French National Assembly.
In the 19th century, Lajoy Gauthier (1818-1893) was a prominent Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and played a role in the formation of the Conservative Party of Quebec.
Lajoy Rollet (1865-1942) was a French artist and painter known for his impressionistic landscapes and portraits. His works were exhibited at the Paris Salon and are now part of various museum collections.
In the early 20th century, Lajoy Petersen (1901-1974) was a Danish architect and urban planner who contributed to the design and development of several notable buildings and urban projects in Copenhagen.
While the name Lajoy is undoubtedly rare, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history, leaving a subtle yet intriguing trail of cultural and linguistic mystery.
People
Lajoy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lajoy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lajoy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lajoy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 227 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lajoy 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 1,509,931 US residents.
Is Lajoy a common name?
We classify Lajoy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lajoy most popular?
The single biggest year for Lajoy was 1980, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lajoy is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lajoy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lajoy 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.