NameCensus.

UK surname

Joyce

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duibhshíoch, derived from "dubh" meaning "black" and "shíoch" meaning "peace."

In the 1881 census there were 7,339 people recorded with the Joyce surname, ranking it #583 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 14,226, ranked #445, up from #583 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, East Dorset and IZ11.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Joyce is 14,606 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.8%.

1881 census count

7,339

Ranked #583

Modern count

14,226

2016, ranked #445

Peak year

2010

14,606 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Joyce had 7,339 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #583 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 14,226 in 2016, ranked #445.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,865 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Joyce surname distribution map

The map shows where the Joyce surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Joyce surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Joyce over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,324 #870
1861 historical 3,814 #734
1881 historical 7,339 #583
1891 historical 7,708 #581
1901 historical 9,217 #568
1911 historical 9,865 #498
1997 modern 13,851 #440
1998 modern 14,364 #439
1999 modern 14,408 #443
2000 modern 14,222 #445
2001 modern 13,854 #446
2002 modern 14,176 #448
2003 modern 13,814 #445
2004 modern 13,749 #448
2005 modern 13,528 #449
2006 modern 13,498 #453
2007 modern 13,743 #446
2008 modern 13,922 #440
2009 modern 14,233 #443
2010 modern 14,606 #442
2011 modern 14,372 #443
2012 modern 14,069 #443
2013 modern 14,414 #442
2014 modern 14,478 #442
2015 modern 14,255 #442
2016 modern 14,226 #445

Geography

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Where Joyces are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Lambeth and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, East Dorset, IZ11 and Fenland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 007 North Dorset
2 North Dorset 008 North Dorset
3 East Dorset 005 East Dorset
4 IZ11 West Dunbartonshire
5 Fenland 011 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Joyce

These lists show first names that appear often with the Joyce surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Joyce

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Joyce, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Joyce surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Joyce household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Joyce is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Joyce is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Joyce falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Joyce is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Joyce, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Joyce

The surname Joyce has its origins in the Norman French name "Jois" or "Joice", which itself is derived from the Latin name "Jovisus", meaning "of Jove" or "belonging to Jupiter". This surname traces its roots back to medieval England and Ireland, and was likely introduced by Norman settlers in the 11th and 12th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Joyce surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Jois" and "Joice". During this time, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire in England.

As the surname spread across the British Isles, various spelling variations emerged, such as Joyce, Joyse, Joice, and Jowce. In Ireland, the Joyce name is particularly associated with counties Galway and Mayo, where it is believed to have been introduced by Norman settlers in the 12th century.

Notable historical figures bearing the Joyce surname include Thomas Joyce (c. 1530-1619), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Jeremiah Joyce (1604-1678), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on theological matters.

In the literary world, James Joyce (1882-1941) is undoubtedly the most renowned bearer of the Joyce name. An Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic, he is best known for his groundbreaking works such as "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake", which revolutionized the art of fiction writing in the 20th century.

Other notable individuals with the Joyce surname include Edward Joyce (1592-1637), an Irish Catholic lawyer and writer who became a leading figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and John Joyce (1939-2022), an English actor best known for his roles in television series such as "Coronation Street" and "Keeping Up Appearances".

While the Joyce surname has its roots in medieval England and Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Joyce families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Joyce surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,092 Joyces recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,092 1.52x
Lancashire 923 1.08x
Surrey 421 1.20x
Durham 382 1.79x
Essex 324 2.29x
Yorkshire 306 0.43x
Hampshire 261 1.78x
Warwickshire 223 1.23x
Northumberland 217 2.03x
Staffordshire 215 0.89x
Leicestershire 205 2.58x
Dorset 192 4.08x
Somerset 190 1.65x
Northamptonshire 181 2.68x
Kent 162 0.66x
Cheshire 161 1.02x
Berkshire 158 2.93x
Lanarkshire 150 0.65x
Norfolk 116 1.05x
Bedfordshire 109 2.93x
Lincolnshire 109 0.95x
Devon 95 0.64x
Sussex 89 0.74x
Wiltshire 79 1.25x
Gloucestershire 77 0.55x
Derbyshire 72 0.64x
Huntingdonshire 63 4.42x
Cumberland 60 0.97x
Glamorgan 54 0.43x
Buckinghamshire 49 1.13x
Cambridgeshire 47 1.03x
Nottinghamshire 46 0.48x
Rutland 45 8.54x
Oxfordshire 43 0.97x
Midlothian 39 0.41x
Cornwall 37 0.46x
Dunbartonshire 33 1.71x
Selkirkshire 25 3.85x
Shropshire 25 0.40x
Worcestershire 25 0.27x
Hertfordshire 24 0.49x
Denbighshire 23 0.85x
Isle of Man 23 1.73x
Perthshire 23 0.71x
Renfrewshire 22 0.40x
Fife 18 0.42x
Royal Navy 14 1.64x
Stirlingshire 14 0.53x
Westmorland 12 0.76x
Flintshire 10 0.52x
Ayrshire 9 0.17x
Caernarfonshire 8 0.28x
Brecknockshire 7 0.49x
West Lothian 7 0.65x
Monmouthshire 6 0.12x
Peeblesshire 6 1.78x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.08x
Angus 4 0.06x
Clackmannanshire 4 0.68x
Banffshire 3 0.20x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.10x
Herefordshire 3 0.10x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.09x
Radnorshire 2 0.35x
Suffolk 2 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 246 Joyces recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.76x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 246 4.76x
St Pancras London 116 2.01x
Islington London 107 1.54x
Lambeth 107 1.71x
Birmingham 85 1.41x
Camberwell 80 1.75x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 76 8.22x
Manchester 76 1.99x
Winterborne Houghton 67 1091.21x
Bromley London 64 4.06x
West Ham 62 1.98x
Wolverhampton 58 3.12x
North Shields 53 24.88x
Kensington London 50 1.25x
Frome 48 17.38x
Govan 47 0.82x
Toxteth Park 46 1.60x
Paddington London 41 1.55x
Glasgow 40 0.97x
Hackney London 40 0.99x
Rothwell 40 59.02x
St George Hanover Square 40 3.16x
Aston 38 0.76x
St Marylebone London 38 0.99x
Chorley 37 7.75x
Barony 36 0.61x
Mile End Old Town London 36 2.36x
Oldham 36 1.31x
Shoreditch London 36 1.16x
Bradford 35 2.03x
Leicester St Mary 35 5.45x
Steventon 34 149.85x
Leicester St Margaret 33 1.70x
Bedminster 32 2.95x
Bethnal Green London 32 1.03x
High Easter 32 163.10x
Walsall Foreign 30 2.40x
Everton 29 1.07x
Leeds 29 0.72x
St Luke London 29 2.52x
Gateshead 28 1.75x
Great Waltham 28 48.54x
Blackburn 27 1.19x
Brandon Byshottles 27 10.10x
Cardross 26 11.23x
Poplar London 26 1.92x
Wednesbury 26 4.30x
Whitehaven 26 7.90x
Birkenhead 25 1.98x
Irchester 25 59.68x
Morcott 25 212.04x
Bishopwearmouth 24 1.31x
Fulham London 24 2.31x
Great Bolton 23 2.04x
Newington 23 0.87x
Ealing 22 3.43x
Finchley 22 8.00x
Stockport 22 2.70x
Wallsend 22 6.50x
Lancaster 21 4.15x
Middlesbrough 21 2.27x
Monks Coppenhall 21 3.51x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 21 3.29x
Newcastle On Tyne St 21 3.80x
Portsea 21 0.73x
Brightside Bierlow 20 1.43x
Cleator 20 7.78x
Leamington Priors 20 4.49x
Clitheroe 19 7.58x
Edmonton 19 3.29x
Hammersmith London 19 1.08x
Kings Somborne 19 61.61x
Lee 19 5.35x
Salford 19 0.76x
St Anne Soho London 19 4.64x
Bristol St Paul In 18 4.80x
Penshaw 18 28.07x
St Neots 18 23.25x
Stoke Damerel 18 1.72x
Willesden 18 2.66x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Joyce surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 550
Elizabeth 220
Sarah 217
Ann 146
Ellen 132
Annie 115
Margaret 115
Jane 105
Alice 100
Emma 98
Catherine 91
Eliza 88
Bridget 85
Emily 64
Louisa 55
Harriet 48
Hannah 46
Kate 44
Martha 43
Anne 36
Caroline 36
Charlotte 35
Florence 35
Frances 35
Maria 35
Edith 32
Julia 32
Ada 30
Rose 28
Susan 26
Agnes 24
Isabella 22
Lucy 22
Fanny 20
Eleanor 19
Amy 16
Harriett 16
Clara 15
Minnie 14
Elizth. 13
Matilda 13
Sophia 12
Esther 11
Rebecca 11
Bertha 10
Gertrude 10
Jessie 10
Winifred 10
Ethel 9
Margret 9

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Joyce surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 467
William 336
Thomas 297
James 220
George 162
Henry 129
Patrick 113
Charles 112
Michael 93
Edward 89
Joseph 81
Robert 80
Alfred 76
Walter 74
Arthur 68
Frederick 64
Martin 52
Samuel 52
Richard 50
Albert 42
Peter 41
Stephen 31
Edwin 27
Harry 25
Herbert 25
David 24
Ernest 21
Benjamin 20
Francis 19
Frank 19
Wm. 18
Tom 15
Thos. 14
Fred 13
Anthony 11
Isaac 8
Nicholas 8
Ralph 8
Sydney 8
Chas. 7
Jacob 7
Jesse 7
Mark 7
Alexander 6
Andrew 6
Edmund 6
Levi 6
Sidney 6
Willm. 6
Laurence 5

FAQ

Joyce surname: questions and answers

How common was the Joyce surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,339 people were recorded with the Joyce surname. That placed it at #583 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Joyce surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 14,226 in 2016. That gives Joyce a modern rank of #445.

What does the Joyce surname mean?

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duibhshíoch, derived from "dubh" meaning "black" and "shíoch" meaning "peace."

What does the Joyce map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Joyce bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.