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Irish surname

Joyce: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Seóigh · 'son of Joy' (probably a Norman personal name, Joie or Joye, corresponding to the Latin Letitia; but possibly a descriptive epithet for one of a joyous disposition)

Woulfe (1923) gives Joyce as Seóigh, 'son of Joy', probably from a Norman personal name, and says the family seems to have come to Ireland from Wales at the end of the 12th century. The Galway Joyces gave their name to the Joyce Country (Duthaigh Seoghach), now the barony of Ross. In 1890 there were 164 Joyce births in Ireland, 131 of them in Connacht.

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Coat of arms associated with the Joyce surname
Irish formSeóigh
Meaning'son of Joy' (probably a Norman personal name, Joie or Joye, corresponding to the Latin Letitia; but possibly a descriptive epithet for one of a joyous disposition)
CountiesGalway, Mayo, Kerry, Kilkenny
Other spellings5
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Joyce crest gifts

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Origin of the Joyce name

Woulfe: on record in Ireland 'since the end of the 12th century, when the family seems to have come hither from Wales'. Citing Hardiman, he says the Galway Joyces came from Wales in the reign of Edward I and acquired land in Iar-Connacht. Seoghas ('son of Joce', Breton), which 'appears to be distinct', was peculiar to Kilkenny and Cork.[1][2]

  1. Late 12th centuryJoyce on record in Ireland; family seems to have come from Wales.[1]
  2. 13th centuryThe separate name Seoghas (Joce, Joyce) dates back at least this far.[2]
  3. 16th centuryBy now the name had become very widespread (Woulfe).[1]
  4. 1827Patrick Weston Joyce born in Co. Limerick.[3][7]
  5. 1869P. W. Joyce publishes the first volume of Irish Names of Places.[3]
  6. 1890164 Joyce births registered: 85 in Galway and 46 in Mayo.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayThe Joyce Country, now the barony of Ross, where Woulfe says they are 'still very numerous'; 85 births in 1890.[1][5][6]
Co. Mayo46 Joyce births in 1890, second only to Galway.[5][6]
Co. KerryWoulfe: Joy, 'the correct rendering', is 'almost peculiar to Kerry'.[1]
Co. KilkennyWoulfe: Seoghas (Joce, Joyce), which 'appears to be distinct' from Seóigh, was peculiar to Kilkenny and Cork.[2]
Co. CorkWoulfe: Seoghas (Joce, Joyce), which 'appears to be distinct' from Seóigh, was peculiar to Kilkenny and Cork.[2]

Notable people named Joyce

Patrick Weston Joyce1827–1914Born in Co. Limerick; scholar chiefly remembered for Irish Names of Places (1869, 1875, 1913).[3][7]
Robert Dwyer Joyced. 1883Physician and poet, brother of P. W. Joyce; wrote 'The Boys of Wexford' and 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley'.[4][8]

Other spellings

Joy · Joye · Joie · Sheoye · Shoye[1]

The Joyce coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Joyce surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Joyce surname: questions

Is Joyce an Irish name?

It has been on record in Ireland since the end of the 12th century. Woulfe gives its origin as 'son of Joy', probably a Norman personal name, and says the family seems to have come to Ireland from Wales; by the 16th century the name had become very widespread.[1]

What does the surname Joyce mean?

Woulfe gives 'son of Joy', probably from a Norman personal name Joie or Joye (Latin Letitia), but possibly an epithet for someone of a joyous disposition. A separate name, Seoghas, means 'son of Joce' or 'Josse', a Breton personal name.[1][2]

What is the Joyce Country?

A mountainous district of Iar-Connacht called from the Joyces Duthaigh Seoghach, now forming the barony of Ross in Co. Galway, where Woulfe says they were still very numerous.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Joyce name from?

Above all Connacht: of 164 Joyce births in 1890, 131 were in Connacht, 85 in Galway and 46 in Mayo. The related spelling Joy was almost peculiar to Kerry.[5][1]

Sources

  1. Seóigh – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/s/seoigh.php
  2. Seoghas – Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/s/seoghas.php
  3. P. W. Joyce – Life, Ricorso (A Knowledge of Irish Literature). ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/j/Joyce_PW/life.htm
  4. Robert Dwyer Joyce – Life, Ricorso (A Knowledge of Irish Literature). ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/j/Joyce_RD/life.htm
  5. Joyce – Birth Indexes of 1890 – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/joyce.php
  6. Registration Province of Connaught (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) – Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/connaught-names.php
  7. Patrick Weston Joyce – The Cabinet of Irish Literature (ed. Charles A. Read), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/CIL/PWJoyce.php
  8. Robert Dwyer Joyce – The Cabinet of Irish Literature, vol. 4 (ed. T. P. O'Connor), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/CIL/RDJoyce.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).