National Joyce Day – June 5, 2024

History of National Joyce Day

Joyce began its life as a masculine name. In truth, Joyce’s ancestors can be traced back to the 14th Century to the Celtic Bretons of Brittany, France. Joyce is derived from the ancient Breton name Iodoc, which means ‘lord.’ The Latinized version of this name was Jodocus, which evolved into the medieval Josse, finally becoming Joyce. Saint Judoc, sometimes known as Saint Joyce, was a 7th-century Brittany prince who left the throne and his inheritance to live the life of a holy hermit.

The cult of St. Joyce flourished and expanded after his death, owing partly to allegations that his corpse remained incorruptible and that the hairs on his head and chin continued to grow, necessitating continuous clipping by his devotees. In the 10th century, fleeing the Norman invasion, many Breton monks took St. Joyce’s relics and rituals to England. The name gained popularity as a tribute to Saint Joyce, whom the English embraced as their own.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” evidence Saint Joyce’s medieval relevance in England, as the Wife of Bath swears “by God and by Saint Joce,” showing he was summoned for oath-taking. Joyce was infrequently used during the late Middle Ages, most likely due to the Church of England’s rupture with Roman Catholicism – although the name remained alive as a patronymic surname. Joyce would later be reintroduced in the contemporary age, but as a female name, this time influenced by the Middle English term “joise,” which means “to joy.”