Meanings
plural Jocelyns · alternative Jocelin · alternative Joselin · alternative Joselyn · alternative Joslyn · alternative Joceline · alternative Jocelyne · alternative Jocelynn · alternative Jocelynne · alternative Joscelin · alternative Josceline · alternative Yoselin · alternative Yoselyn
- datedA male given name from the Germanic languages.
- A surname originating as a patronymic.
- A female given name from the Germanic languages.
I drove Dorothy immediately to King George V Hospital and two hours later she delivered a beautiful baby daughter. We named her Jocelyn.
2006, Ted Freeman, Doctor in Vanuatu, Suva, Fiji: Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, →ISBN, page 34
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*Gautalinþiz
- GermanGautzelin
- Old FrenchJoscelin
- EnglishJocelyn
From the Middle English male given name from Old French Joscelin, German Gautzelin, diminutive of names beginning with the tribal name Gaut (“a Geat, a Goth”), the root form of which probably comes from Proto-Germanic *Gautalinþiz (from *gautaz + *linþaz); also used as a diminutive form of the Breton name Josse (= Joyce). It survived as a surname and was revived as a given name in the nineteenth century. * Jocelyn is currently popular among U.S. Hispanics, and in the Philippines, by folk etymology explained as a feminine diminutive form of José (Joseph).
More words from Old French, German, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 喬斯林 /乔斯林, 喬斯琳 /乔斯琳
- 喬斯林 /乔斯林 (Qiáosīlín)male given name
- 喬斯琳 /乔斯琳 (Qiáosīlín)female given name
French Jocelyn, Josselin
- Jocelynmale given name
- Josselinmale given name
- Jocelynefemale given name
- Josselinefemale given name
Italian Gioselina
- Gioselinafemale given name
Portuguese Juscelino
- Juscelinomale given name
Cite this entry
Jocelyn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jocelyn
“Jocelyn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jocelyn. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Jocelyn,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jocelyn.
Source: Jocelyn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.