Names That Mean Joy

A name that means joy is a little burst of happiness — a wish for a child’s life to be full of laughter and light. Joy is a feeling every culture treasures, and the names that carry it are warm and uplifting. Many say it outright: the English Joy, the Yoruba Ayo, the Arabic Farah, the Italian Gioia, the Sanskrit Ananda (“bliss”) and the Hindi Khushi. Others mean cheerful, gladness or delight, from the Latin Felicity and Felix (“happy, lucky”) to the Hebrew Simcha and the radiant Irish Aoibheann. Joy names feel bright and cheerful, suiting a child who brings smiles wherever they go, and they span languages from Yoruba to Japanese. Here are real baby names that mean joy, happiness or delight, each with its genuine meaning and origin.