English. Originally a male name, now almost always female.
Whyte suggests that Joyce was probably an old Celtic personal name, originating from Old French joie, "joy, delight".
The ONC has it that Joyce is from the Breton male name Iodoc, meaning "lord" which was Latinized as Jodocus or Iodocus. From these a number of other names have been derived:
Jobst (M) - Low German,
Joost and Joos (M) - Dutch, and
Joyce (M/F) - English.
These views are not necessarily in conflict since Breton origins are closely linked to other Celtic races. |