Jocelyn

A gorgeous name, but as others have mentioned, people tend to pronounce it incorrectly. I personally only like this, the classic, spelling of it. I think it's worth it to still name a baby this due to how rare and pretty it is, but just keep that in mind if you want to give your child this name.

Jocelyn is so elegant. It sounds pleasant and I think it's one of those versatile names that suits all personalities.

My name is Jocelyn, and I can't really say I like or dislike it. My mom wanted me to have a professional name, but I have to put up with people coming up with ridiculous nicknames, as well as mispronunciation all the time in attendance and lessons. I also find that when I introduce myself, I have to repeat a lot. I enjoy not having other people in the same school or class as me named the same.
I like also that there are f variants that sound the same. I have spent many summer camps or programs, spelling my name Joslyn to make it slightly more masculine. Several times when I was younger in a camp, we were told to write our names on our papers and the girl beside me would say "Your name looks like a girl's name.", because she thought I was a boy. I didn't mind that she thought that, but decided to spell it differently sometimes, and liked the look of it more.
I can totally see this as a boy name, but know that it is possible they might be teased.
Do any other Jocelyns get called Jacklyn, Jasmine or Lynn at all?

Jocelyn sounds very mean girlish to me for some reason.

Strangely enough, I thought it was a modern invention. A feminine form of Joseph or an elaborate form of Josephine/Josie!
And I'm glad to be wrong!

I really really like Jocelyn. I first came across it (spelled Jocelyn) in A Tangled Web by L. M. Montgomery and I fell in love with the name right away even though back then I wasn't even sure how to pronounce it. Jocelyn is still the preferred spelling for me, but I like it a lot spelled either way. It's cool that it's a very classic, vintage name, with something very elegant and romantic to it, yet at the same time because it's gender-neutral (at least theoretically), and ends with -lyn, it feels very modern. I'm surprised it's not more popular, especially given the joyous meaning. When my interest in names started to develop and I wasn't speaking much English yet, I read a lot of our Polish websites about names and on one of them I saw Jocelyn listed as one of the foreign forms of our Polish Justyna (alongside Justine). Now I know that Jocelyn and Justine have nothing in common at all etymologically, but I still sort of see them as variants of each other, even though I don't like Justine quite as much as I do Jocelyn. Justine and Jocelyn would make cool sister names though I guess. I saw Jocelyn used as a masculine name only once, in a book, and while when I think "Jocelyn" I first think female, since having read that book I think it's actually really cool as a male name too, and would be great with the nickname Jock or Jocky or something like that. Except it probably wouldn't be very usable in practice for a guy in the English-speaking world.

I love this name for a girl because every Jocelyn I've met are sweet and lovable. I know it's a masculine name in France, but in my country, NO NO NO! If anyone named their son Jocelyn here, he would be mistaken for a girl his entire life.

I was kinda surprised when I saw this was actually masculine. I've only met one Jocelyn in my life, and she's a girl. But even before that, I always thought this was feminine.

Nice!

Very dated!

Never liked this name.

Oh, and I forgot to mention. This is a GIRL'S name where I'm from.

My name is Jocelyn and I love it because no one else has my name. I also have to teach people how to spell it, most people do "Joselyn" but for a whole year my bus driver wrote it down and said it as " Joyelyn". WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?!?!?!? LIKE REALLY? Also if you say that this name is a bad name, you are wrong, it is best name ever.

Jocelyn increased in popularity in the 90s and 2000s where I live. I know 4 Jocelyn's. I like this name, but I prefer Madelyn. I like both Jocelyn and Madelyn. :)

Sitting here reading all of these comments from years past really makes me angry. Jocelyn is a name, and it can be used as an example of extraordinary, or it could be used as boring, even terrible. It depends on the person themselves. Your name is not just your name. It's the name of thousands across the world. But it is your name, and you are what you make of it. It is a beautiful name. It's not too common, and for a boy or girl it's not one that you hear often. What bothers me is that it can't be used for a girl? You're telling me you don't see this name as a girl, because it's too masculine? Since when do female names have to be masculine? This is the 2000s. People are changing their own sex for goodness' sakes. But no, MY name, because I am a GIRL- it's ghastly, and just wrong for you people? I was not born an Emily, Madison, or a Chelsea. Nothing wrong with those names, but you hear them often. All growing up I heard negative comments about how that's a boys name- why? Why do we have to even have boy's and girl's names now? I know a girl named JOEY. It does not matter. It's funny how we can praise celebrities with names for females such as James- when we just shut down the idea of naming a girl Jocelyn. It's pretty. It's funny. It's smart. It's me. And it fits perfectly. Your daughters would be lucky to be named Jocelyn. And your sons.

Can't lie, to me it just sounds ugly, for a boy or girl. Just generally not a good name.

Lovely.

This was my favorite name for many years - from 4th grade all the way up to my first year of college. I have dropped it from my list years ago, but still have a soft spot for it.

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I first heard it in 4th grade when we had a new girl in class named Jocelyn. She was pretty and popular and no one else had the name - probably in the whole school. She did get called "Joz-lynn", "Jock-eh-lynn", "Joshlyn", "Jozza-lynn", "Josh-uh-lynn" etc!

I prefer Jocelyn over Josslyn.

There are far too many asinine comments about Jocelyn "sounding" feminine. For hundreds of years, it was only used for boys and men. Then some undereducated person gave it to a girl baby... If you are writing from the backwoods of America, your opinion on how the French language works does not count. In short, a bit of book learning would help!

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I made a joke to my husband this morning that I was going to call the baby Jocelyn because she kept "jostlin'" around in there. He said he actually liked the name and I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not. If nothing else it would be a funny "how you got your name" story!

I use the name Joselyne which I was very disappointed to see that the way it is spelled isn't really... popular. It is commonly known as Jocelyn now as my version is "complicated" so parents don't wish to give children this name. Either way, it's only a 1-2 letter difference?

Jocelyn is a pretty name. It sounds rather sweet and I like the lyn ending as I always feel this makes a feminine name sound lovely. This name isn't used a lot yet it has something special about it. It would be a nice name to use in a song as it's pleasant sounding.

Love it. Will not change it. Everyone has their opinion. Not a typical Filipina girl's name. My mother said it was in the calendar on the date of my birth. My kids enjoy my name because they believe there can only be one Jocelyn... their Mom. Love it.

It's a pretty name.

I know a girl called Josalyn and a girl called Jocelyn. I think Josalyn would be pronounced like Jos-UH-lyn and Jocelyn would be pronounced Jos-lyn.

I'm starting to really like this name a lot!

My name is Jocelyn. I like the uniqueness, but I hate having to repeat how to say it or the spelling.

It can have a cute nickname like Jocie.

I love my name so much but mine is spelled like this - Josalyn, and I love how different it is from all the other names.

I think the name is intriguing. It requires the brain and the tongue to work harmoniously. It's not a haughty, snobbish or shrewish name. So yeah, Jocelyn is a great name :)

My 2 year old daughter is Jocelyn. I loved her name after watching the movie A Knights Tale. I do understand people saying it wrong all the time. We constantly hear Josh-uh-lyn or Josh-lyn all the time. I say Joss-lyn JOSS. And yet people do not get it.

My daughter is Jocelyn Leeann. It sounds like a princess to me; in fact, it was the princess in a knights tale. Her nickname is Josie. Josie was Drew Barrymore's character in never been kissed. They called her Josie Grossie in high school haha. I don't think that will be an issue when my daughter starts school though. Dad's name is Joshua. Joshua and Jocelyn are a little too similar but they go by Josh and Josie most times to avoid confusion. I'll have to name the next kid after me.

From looking at the spelling, I can see how this name would be butchered. I mean my name (which is not Jocelyn) isn't hard to pronounce at all and people still get it wrong. I really love this name. It's so pretty and it seems like a name that ages well.

My name is Joscelyne. Mine is the oddest (and prettiest looking) version of the name I've ever seen. I mostly go by Joss, however, to make things less complicated. I really love my name but I would never give it to anyone. The English language is hard enough as it is, without having to worry about your own name having 50 different spellings. When I was itty-bitty I could not spell my own damn name because people kept telling me I was "spelling it wrong"
It's a beautiful name, but it is not worth the trouble it gives you as a kid.
Also I hear people butcher it nine ways to sunday. I've heard JAWS-a-lynee and JOSH-a-lyn and one time (a high-school sub teacher) said it JAW-see-LINE-y. How do you even get it that wrong?! Once again, beautiful name, impossible to deal with.
But here's the fun part. If you are ever bored, have people around you try to spell it. My own brother writes Jose on all my b-day cards. It's funny seeing people get all flustered because they can't spell it.
One time we used "Spell Joscelyne" as a party game when I was like 8 and the winner got a bunch of candy.

Jocelyn (and its spelling variations) is one of those names that when I look at it, it makes me feel like I have a headache brewing. I don't think I can accurately describe why I dislike this name so much. The pronunciation is unattractive, the written name is unpleasant, it looks infantile, somewhat made up, monotonous and stale.

Ok Francesca, You say this is not a name of brains. Well sorry to say but your name does not have to do with how smart you are, but if it did, take a load of this. Me: Name is Jocelyn, learning math 2 years ahead of my grade, in advanced language arts, gets straight A's, have been on honor roll every quarter, pushes myself to be the best, works hard to get good grades, going to Honors Science, Honors Language Arts, and Honors Algebra 2 (So not only is it math 2 years ahead, it's harder) in high school. And if that's not enough, I'm taking college level Social Studies next year. I also play violin and do track. BAM! And it is not the name of a bratty pageant girl. In fact I'm gonna tell you this; I'm sorry for essentially bragging in the words above me, but I was just proving my point and giving you evidence. I can't believe you would call a name ugly, I'm sorry but that just slams right into a girl or boy's self esteem. But I am southern so you got that part right. I just can't believe you would say this though, because that is just wrong. So, before you judge a name, actually look at a couple of people with that name. Now, Have a nice day.

My name is Jocelyn and it's awesome. Francesca needs to chill the heck out.

I love the name Jocelyn for a boy or a girl. I also love the idea of using Joss as a nickname.

Sorry, but I don't really like this name. Not sure why, I guess it just reminds me of the word jostle. I prefer Jacqueline.

I must admit when I was younger I struggled with the uniqueness of the name, but as an adult, I have come to appreciate its orginality and elegance. My mother, who is a psychologist, thought long and hard before she named me and I have gotten nothing but positive responses. I, myself, am an attorney and the people in my circles have no issues with pronunciation. I wholeheartedly disagree that the name is "hideous" or "trendy". It's classy and understated, far from "uneducated", obviously, and and above all... It suits me :)

This is my name, and very few people say it correctly right off the bat, even if I say it slowly to them. I've heard Jacklyn, Joslin, Joshlin, and all sorts of other weird ones. I love the name, I think it's very pretty and elegant, but I have to go by Jay just so people can address me, so I rarely ever get to use it.
Also, I think a guy with this name would be teased for it. It definitely sounds feminine to me.

My name is Joslyn, I've only ever met one other spelled the way mine is, though I think it's the most simple and obvious way of spelling it. Jocelyn usually wins out. Growing up I didn't think as much about my name til I realized how uncommon it is. I'm very happy to have such a beautiful name and I think it's a nice balance of not too common but not crazy and over the top. Yes, its mispronounced (Josh-lyn, Jaws-lyn) which has never really bothered me as much as the friends I am with that defend the name to those that mispronounce... and I've been called Joss, Jaws and Jossie as nicknames (all are fun)... but most importantly I love to see people's reaction when they are hearing it for the first time and smile. I'll never forget my future husband telling me what a beautiful name it is when we were first introduced. The name is slightly growing in popularity, I see it in a lot of movies (Rumor Has It, A Knights Tale, What a Girl Wants, Jane Austen Book Club, etc) but I'm glad it's not becoming too popular; I don't want it to become an overused name like so many others, it would lose the "specialness" it brings to those that have it. For those on this board that don't like the name: Thank you for keeping my name special. For those that love it: don't get too caught up in spellings people are going to mispronounce and misspell anyways! :) Pick what you like best when you give such a special name to your special daughter (or son... that is kinda weird but apparently a few of you like it)!

I love the name Jocelyn. It's my second favorite girl's name. It's spunky, fun, elegant, and it's got that southern belle feeling to it. It's also easy to pronounce in other languages.

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This is my friend's little sister's name. She's hilarious. She's 4 and she walks around going, "GIRLLLL, uh-uh!" Haha it seems bratty when you type it, but it isn't (:

Seems trendy to me. Not my favorite.

I can't really put my finger on it, but there's something about this name that I don't like.

A hideous, hideous name in pronunciation and written word. It simply screams bratty southern pageant-baby (certainly not the definition of brains), it sounds uneducated, unprofessional, made-up, and ugly. Harsh? Perhaps. I beg of you, bestow your children names that will aid their future, that will not taint their chances if success, and one that they themselves will fall in love with-- thanking you.

I think this name is a lot better for a boy. Very handsome and sweet sounding. If it's for a girl I prefer the Joceline spelling.

Growing up, I somewhat despised my name. It was so different – and, to make matters worse, people always pronounced it Jacqueline, something almost comical nowadays. However, now that I don’t wish I had a name like “everyone else’s” I wouldn’t want any other name. Jocelyn is a truly unique and beautiful name and I wouldn’t ask for any other.
It's classy and cool at the same time!

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Also, people were wondering, Josselin is the masculine, French spelling of Jocelyn.

The sound of this name bothers me. I think the JAWS part is what does it. I don't like this name.

I read somewhere it means goth. No joke. I think really it did at one time. Weird, huh?

This is a very lovely name, but due to a bad association I had with a girl named Jocelyn, I always cringe when I hear the name. I can't help but get annoyed. It just bugs me.

The names Jaslyn and Jazlyn are the combination of Jasmine and Jocelyn. This name is English with the meaning of Joyful.

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Yes this is a made up name. But all names were made up at one point in time. I find this name beautiful. I also love the names Jasmine and Jocelyn. So to find a name with the combination of both those names is really awesome. Very pretty and very joyful type of name haha lol! But even though it is a made up name it still has a strong history based on the two names it developed from. Because Jasmine and Jocelyn have much history to those names as well.

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So to summarize basically, I love this name. :) I prefer the Jaslyn spelling over the Jazlyn spelling. It is weird what one little letter can do to a name. The z in Jazlyn makes it look trendy and kre8tive. However, the s in Jaslyn makes it seem so pretty and sweet.

I'm from England and have a daughter, aged 4, who is the only Jocelyn I know. I'm intrigued the name is so popular in America. How is the name perceived over there? It is posh, common, fun, serious etc?

This isn't one of my favorite names, but the nickname Joss is kind of cool. It's so wonderfully non-girly for a female without sounding ridiculously masculine. Plus, the woman will have a feminine full name to use when she wants to be taken seriously. The nickname Joss sounds good for boys, but this name is definitely feminine, and if you like the name, you should just name the guy Joss, not Jocelyn. This is definitely a better and classier name than monstrosities like Jazlyn.

It's a very good, strong name, with a lovely ring to it! I have a friend with that name.

I really like my name, Jocelyn. It sounds beautiful and unique. But sometimes people don't know how to spell my name or even they can't pronounce it. I don't like people who spell my name as Joselin, Joslin, ... Once a lady just spelled it as Jazzlyn, it was very creative lol.

I actually really like Jocelyn for a boy, especially with the nickname "Joss". There's just something very fresh and spunky about it.

I love my name. I didn't like it much when I was younger because people always said it wrong but now I like the uniqueness of it. My name has an extra 'n' on the end which makes it even more unique.

I really like this name. It sounds cool! I also like the spelling Jocelynn, just because I like weird spellings of names.

This is my name. The way some people pronounce it can be quite comical. Jozee-lyn and Jawz-lyn are just some of the few. For a girl it's supposed to be spelt with an e on the end, but if you're about to name your daughter this, leave the e out because people will just pronounce it Joss-lyn-ee. All the other spellings are incorrect and look dumb in my opinion. It's like spelling names that end with y with an i. And shortening it is stupid. That's just my take.

So pretty!

I really like the name Jocelyn, and I especially love the great nicknames that come from it, such as Josie or Joss.

This is one of my all time favorite names. It is such a cheerful name and very beautiful.

Another possible spelling is Josselin, which is the name of a medieval town in France. I think it would be a nice alternate spelling to a pretty name.

?! A boy's name? Jocelyn sounds so much like a girl's name. Apologies to any males with this name.

I also love my name, I found it difficult as a child having an unusual name but now I love having a different name. I hate it shortened to Joss though, I think it's rude to shorten such a beautiful name.

Don't ever name a boy "Jocelyn". It's a lovely girl name, but NOT for boys. (My impression)

I strongly dislike this name. A certain person I know has that name, and I hate them. Therefore it sticks to me that Jocelyn is a mean and selfish name. Just my personal opinion, don't judge me by it. ;)

This is such a pretty name! I always have loved it. It is soft sounding and elegant yet tomboyish.

It is a beautiful name, the name of a true warrior.

I love my name, it is so cool.