- Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland
The name Joy came to England with the ancestors of the Joy family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Joy family lived in Herefordshire. Their name, however, derives from the family’s place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, De Gai, Normandy. [1]
Others sources claim the name is a nickname for ‘ the jay,’ a chatterer, a smartly dressed person. [2] [3] [4]
Early Origins of the Joy family
The surname Joy was first found in Herefordshire at Heath, with Jay, a township, in the parish of Leintwardine, union of Ludlow, hundred of Wigmore. [5] This small township had only 55 inhabitants in the late 1800s and comprises the hamlets of Heath and Jay. [6] [7]
One of the first records of the family was Gilber Jai (Gai) who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1202. A few years later, Tandy de Jay was listed in the Assize Rolls for Shropshire in 1221 and Walter le Jay was found in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1225. [8]
In Somerset, William le Jay was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III’s reign.) [9]
“Brian de Jay was the last Master of the English Knights Templars. He was the only Englishman of note slain at the battle of Falkirk in 1298 and his fellow Master of the Order in Scotland, fighting along with Jay, was also killed.” [10]
Early History of the Joy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Joy research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1511, 1630, 1722, 1495, 1553, 1530, 1534, 1529, 1697, 1790, 1697, 1734, 1699 and 1553 are included under the topic Early Joy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Joy Spelling Variations
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Jay, Jaye, Jayes and others.
Early Notables of the Joy family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Joye (also Joy and Jaye) (c. 1495 – 1553), a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English (1530-1534), as well as the first English Primer (1529). Francis Joy (1697?-1790), was a printer, papermaker, and journalist, born at Belfast about 1697. “His family claims descent from Captain Thomas Joy, a follower of Arthur Chichester, Lord Chichester of Belfast. Francis Joy is said to have been originally a tailor; but the authority for this statement adds, with manifest exaggeration, that on setting up as… Another 132 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Joy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Joy World Ranking
In the United States, the name Joy is the 2,509th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. [11] However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Joy is ranked the 476th most popular surname with an estimated 99 people with that name. [12] And in New Zealand, the name Joy is the 723rd popular surname with an estimated 989 people with that name. [13]
