Declining since 2002, #5,099 for girls today.
Popularity of Joya since 1942
Babies named Joya per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1990, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Joya's real moment was 1976.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 33 |
| 1950s | 104 |
| 1960s | 197 |
| 1970s | 269 |
| 1980s | 276 |
| 1990s | 287 |
| 2000s | 290 |
| 2010s | 222 |
| 2020s | 118 |
Meaning & origin
Joya is a straightforward word name, borrowed from Spanish where it simply means 'jewel'. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1942, and its peak year of usage was 1976. Since 2002, however, its popularity has been declining steadily, placing it among the rarer names in modern usage. In 2025, the name was given to roughly 1 in every 64,291 newborn girls, making it an uncommon but recognizable choice.
Joya is a direct borrowing of the Spanish word 'joya', meaning 'jewel' or 'gem'. It emerged as a given name in English-speaking countries during the mid-20th century, possibly influenced by the similar-sounding name Joy and the trend of word names. Its usage has been modest but steady in the United States since the 1940s.
“Joya” around the world
Where Joya lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
20
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Joy
Sibling names for Joya
Names that share Joya's style, for a brother or sister.
