Meaning and history
From a Frankish masculine name variously spelled Gautselin, Gauzlin, and other forms, Jocelyn comes from the Germanic element gautaz, referring to the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans introduced it to England as Goscelin or Joscelin, where it remained common until the 14th century, and it was revived in the 20th century mainly as a feminine name, possibly influenced by the surname Jocelyn, a medieval derivative of the given name. In France, it remains exclusively masculine.
20062006: 4,370 births, rank #73
2007: 5,293 births, rank #50
2008: 4,372 births, rank #67
2009: 4,118 births, rank #71
2010: 3,997 births, rank #65
20112011: 3,731 births, rank #71
2012: 3,232 births, rank #93
2013: 3,152 births, rank #99
2014: 2,764 births, rank #115
2015: 2,453 births, rank #133
20162016: 2,105 births, rank #147
2017: 1,843 births, rank #163
2018: 1,560 births, rank #195
2019: 1,520 births, rank #200
2020: 1,147 births, rank #269
20212021: 1,093 births, rank #292
2022: 1,017 births, rank #315
2023: 890 births, rank #346
2024: 813 births, rank #389
20252025: 788 births, rank #393
Jocelyn moved from #389 to #393 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2007, with 5,293 births.