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Jocelyn as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Jocelyn

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The baby name Jocelyn is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced Common English: /ˈdʒɒsəlɪn/ or /ˈdʒɑsəlɪn/ (JOSS-uh-lin). French: /ʒɔsəlɛ̃/ (zho-seh-LAN).

Jocelyn is French in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: French
Pronunciation: Common English: /ˈdʒɒsəlɪn/ or /ˈdʒɑsəlɪn/ (JOSS-uh-lin). French: /ʒɔsəlɛ̃/ (zho-seh-LAN)

What is the meaning of the name Jocelyn ?

The baby name Jocelyn is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced Common English: /ˈdʒɒsəlɪn/ or /ˈdʒɑsəlɪn/ (JOSS-uh-lin). French: /ʒɔsəlɛ̃/ (zho-seh-LAN).

Jocelyn is French in Origin.

Jocelyn stems from Old French Joscelin/Josselin, a medieval masculine name taken from the Germanic Gautzelin (also Gaucelin), a diminutive of Gaut, referring to the Gauts/Geats - hence senses like “member of the Gauts” or “little Goth.” Carried to England by the Normans, it appears in Latin records as Jocelinus and was borne by nobles and prelates, including Bishops Jocelin of Glasgow and of Wells, and the Crusader counts Joscelin I and II of Edessa.

While unisex today, English usage shifted it largely feminine from the early 20th century, fueling modern popularity in the UK, US, and beyond. French retains masculine Jocelyn and feminine Jocelyne. Other variants include Joscelin, Joscelyn, Jocelin, Josceline, Josselin/Josseline, and modern spellings Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joslyn, and Josslyn; short forms include Joss and Josie. The name blends courtly medieval heritage with a gentle, contemporary sound.

Jocelyn has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Jocelyn

Jocelyn Pook Musician · Born 1960 · United Kingdom Jocelyn Pook is a British musician and composer best known for her work on film scores. She composed the haunting music for Stanley Kubrick's film 'Eyes Wide Shut' and also contributed to the soundtrack of 'The Merchant of Venice'. Her unique blend of classical and contemporary styles has made her a distinctive voice in the world of music composition. Jocelyn Quivrin Actor · Born 1979 · France Jocelyn Quivrin was a French actor best known for his role in the film '99 Francs'. He also appeared in 'Largo Winch' and 'The Last Deadly Mission'. Born in 1979, Quivrin had a promising career in French cinema before his untimely death in 2009.

Celebrity babies named Jocelyn

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Jocelyn Howard Ron Howard film director ★★★★★

Jocelyn – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2016 #1 — 921
HT 0 #11 2 399
PH Girls 0 #13 1,024 13,098
SV Girls 0 #18 1 458
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
HT Boys 0 #24 11 903
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
PH 0 #48 49 5,607
KW Girls 0 #49 997 19,177
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
JP 0 #73 5 4,057
CN 0 #74 12 3,857
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
BN Girls 0 #78 29 5,459
TW 0 #87 14 4,523
QA 0 #89 12 7,011
QA Girls 0 #94 262 15,378
ID Girls 0 #98 5 3,319
KW 0 #105 12 5,216
SG Girls 0 #107 1,003 18,916
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
OM 0 #116 6 6,215
CY Girls 0 #118 8 3,755
CL Girls 0 #124 3,801 14,098
AE Girls 0 #129 565 20,968
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
PA 0 #134 5 3,797
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
JO 0 #139 2 2,158
MT Girls 0 #142 10 3,773
MO Girls 0 #144 116 7,056
PR Girls 0 #145 17 3,171
CR 0 #149 10 5,526
SG 0 #149 126 11,010
AE 0 #150 28 10,220
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
CL 0 #162 359 6,867
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
SA Girls 0 #175 1,394 25,931
MT Boys 0 #177 3 4,064
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
Sweden Girls 2021 #182 2 1,666
OM Girls 0 #183 225 15,987
TW Girls 0 #183 98 8,139
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
AO Girls 0 #216 2 4,575
LU Boys 0 #219 2 4,970
PS 0 #219 8 5,692
JP Girls 0 #223 23 6,592
CN Girls 0 #226 130 8,829
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
MO Boys 0 #231 4 5,842
MY 0 #232 103 12,352
NA Girls 0 #233 5 7,146
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
GH 0 #244 5 5,396
GR Girls 0 #246 4 6,293
Canada Girls 2024 #247 39 2,795
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
EC Girls 0 #254 5 3,650
MU Boys 0 #257 102 8,477
SA 0 #259 37 10,560
France Girls 1957 #260 3 1,034
HK Girls 0 #260 503 16,104
MX 0 #263 158 8,339
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
Canada Boys 2001 #286 5 1,916
PE 0 #290 21 6,350
MX Girls 0 #292 2,952 17,781
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
JO Girls 0 #302 24 7,570
GH Girls 0 #303 22 6,973
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
HK 0 #305 44 8,483
DK Girls 0 #322 8 7,429
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
GT 0 #332 7 5,948
United States Girls 2024 #334 808 8,487
MY Girls 0 #346 1,014 24,821
MU Girls 0 #357 6 8,539
BH 0 #358 198 17,937
GH Boys 0 #358 4 8,138
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
PH Boys 0 #372 12 11,440
Finland Girls 0 #374 18 1,368
France Boys 2021 #380 8 2,865
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
ZA 0 #409 39 14,421
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
PA Girls 0 #413 69 9,861
CR Girls 0 #418 115 11,342
PS Girls 0 #454 70 10,981
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
GT Girls 0 #465 41 7,500
CO 0 #471 10 7,768
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
AR Boys 0 #481 3 7,628
RU Girls 0 #487 12 11,913
UY Girls 0 #489 22 6,731
CR Boys 0 #508 3 10,188
CM Boys 0 #509 42 12,054
CL Boys 0 #519 151 13,390
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
CM Girls 0 #530 11 11,671
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
IL Girls 0 #545 73 11,648
HK Boys 0 #553 5 12,905
LY 0 #554 6 12,703
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
AR Girls 0 #574 26 8,289
BO Girls 0 #578 34 9,488
LB 0 #609 50 13,263
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
IL Boys 0 #624 2 10,983
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
IT 0 #680 35 4,183
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
NG Girls 0 #718 69 15,093
Finland Girls 2026 #726 13 3,895
PE Girls 0 #728 220 14,861
BR Boys 0 #732 20 12,213
SG Boys 0 #734 6 17,960
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
KW Boys 0 #748 22 18,755
SY 0 #760 8 11,684
Germany Girls 0 #801 38 4,949
ZA Girls 0 #814 339 25,928
NL Girls 0 #856 100 5,933
Spain Girls 0 #858 126 5,561
TN 0 #862 4 13,765
United States Boys 2016 #892 6 7,365
OM Boys 0 #910 9 17,948
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
EG Girls 0 #944 16 14,742
MX Boys 0 #957 26 16,355
CO Girls 0 #974 105 16,140
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
BR Girls 0 #990 3 12,708
NG Boys 0 #993 9 16,906
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
IT Girls 0 #1,070 387 9,415
AE Boys 0 #1,076 17 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,174 9 25,439
MA 0 #1,191 9 20,986
TR 0 #1,200 12 19,440
DZ 0 #1,229 6 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,266 7 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,447 25 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,583 32 28,008

Jocelyn is popular in 77 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
United States
Ireland

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Jocelyn

Jocelyn is predominantly a girl's name.
Jocelyn is a 3 syllable name, pronounced Common English: /ˈdʒɒsəlɪn/ or /ˈdʒɑsəlɪn/ (JOSS-uh-lin). French: /ʒɔsəlɛ̃/ (zho-seh-LAN).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Jocelin, Jocelynn, Jocelyne, Joceline, Joscelyn and Josselyn.
Across languages, Jocelyn has these equivalents: Joscelin (medieval/masculine), Josselin (Breton/masculine), Jocelyne (French feminine), Joseline (French/Spanish feminine), Jocelin (modern masculine/feminine), and 2 more.
Yes, very popular — Jocelyn ranked #1 in Ireland in 2016, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Jocelyn ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2016).
Jocelyn's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2006 to #1 in 2016 in Ireland.
Yes — 2 notable people named Jocelyn are in our database, including Jocelyn Pook (Musician), Jocelyn Quivrin (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Jocelyn for their child, including Ron Howard.