2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Joyer
A surname derived from the Old French "joier," meaning to enjoy or take delight.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Joyer. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joyer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Joyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joyer
The surname JOYER has its origins in France, traced back to the 14th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old French word "joie," meaning "joy" or "happiness." It likely originated as a descriptive surname, possibly given to a cheerful or joyful person or someone associated with celebrations or entertainments.
In the medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, including Joyere, Joier, and Joyre, reflecting regional spelling variations. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris, where a certain Jehan Joyer is mentioned in 1382.
The JOYER name gained prominence in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. Several notable individuals bearing this surname have been documented throughout history. For instance, Pierre JOYER (1528-1592) was a renowned French jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris.
Another noteworthy figure was Jacques JOYER (1590-1655), a French Jesuit priest and theologian who authored several works on religious subjects. In the 17th century, the name was also associated with the family of Jean JOYER (1630-1692), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the village of Jouy-en-Josas, near Paris.
During the 18th century, the JOYER surname appeared in various historical records, such as the parish registers of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where a certain François JOYER was registered as a landowner in 1712. Additionally, the name was found in the archives of the city of Rouen, where a family of JOYER artisans and tradespeople resided.
In the 19th century, the JOYER surname gained further recognition with individuals like Charles-François JOYER (1802-1875), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the French National Assembly. Another notable figure was Émile JOYER (1848-1920), a respected educator and author who published several works on pedagogy and education reform.
Overall, the surname JOYER has a rich history deeply rooted in French culture and society, with a diverse range of individuals contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Joyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Joyer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Joyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 9
- Black or African American7.5% · 8
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joyer
Joyer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,336 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,992 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 2,336 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,992 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Joyer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #148,347 | #152,339 | -2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 106 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joyer bearers went from 111 to 106 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,992 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,339.
FAQ
Joyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joyer?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Joyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Joyer?
Joyer ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Joyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Joyer.
Has Joyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joyer went from 111 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Joyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (7.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Joyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Hispanic (8.5%), Black (7.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Joyer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Joyer mean?
A surname derived from the Old French "joier," meaning to enjoy or take delight. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Joyer (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Joyer?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Joyer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.