Etymology

Joyce

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Today it means: An English and Irish surname originating as a patronymic. Full definition →

Old French Josse ← Breton Iodoc ← Proto-Celtic *yowdos
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The story

  1. Proto-Celtic · derived from*yowdos
  2. Breton · derived fromIodoc
  3. Old French · derived fromJosse
  4. English todayJoyce

Medieval (Middle English) given name from Old French Josse, name of a seventh century saint Latinized as Iodocus, from Breton Iodoc, diminutive of iudh (“lord”), from Proto-Celtic *yowdos.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.