How popular is the baby name Gauzelin in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Gauzelin.

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Popularity of the baby name Gauzelin


Posts that mention the name Gauzelin

Baby name stories: Joslin

On June 27, a long-time Joslin Diabetes Center patient gave birth to a baby girl.

The baby’s name? Joslin Marie.

“I decided to name my daughter Joslin because of the care I received at Joslin,” explained Elizabeth. “More specifically because of one appointment I had with Dr. Eyiuche Okeke. When I was about 21 years old I had a regular, routine appointment and at that point, my diabetes was so out of control.

“With an A1C of 10 or 11, Dr. Okeke flat out told me ‘if you were to get pregnant right now, your baby would have a 65 to 80 percent chance of having birth defects.’ Being a young adult, I knew that I always wanted to have children. I couldn’t help but cry that day, but more importantly, reevaluate my lifestyle,” she said.

And that’s not all — I know of another baby named Joslin after the Joslin Diabetes Center.

Hannah Joslin Fascione was born to Lorraine Fascione of Newington, CT, in March of 2000. Lorraine, who suffered from gestational diabetes, was treated at a Joslin-affiliated diabetes center in Connecticut.

So where did the Joslin Diabetes Center get its name? The Boston-based organization grew out of the private practice of Dr. Elliott P. Joslin (1869-1962), the first U.S. doctor to specialize in diabetes.

And where does the surname Joslin come from? It was originally a personal name, brought to England by the Normans in the 11th century. Early spelling variants include Goscelin, Gosselin and Joscelin.

In most cases, Joslin can be traced back to the Germanic name Gauzelin, which was a pet form of Germanic names that included the name element Gaut (of unknown meaning).

In other cases, Joslin was a pet form of the Old French name Josse, a version of the Breton name Iodoc/Jodoc, which was based on the Breton word iudh, meaning “lord.”

Do you like the name Joslin?

Sources:

What turned Jocelyn into a girl name?

Illustration of the characters Ralph and Jocelyn from the book "To Have and to Hold" (1900) by Mary Johnston.
Ralph and Jocelyn from “To Have and to Hold”

The name Jocelyn, originally masculine, can be traced back to a Germanic name Gauzelin, “a diminutive short form of the various compound names having as their first element the tribal name Gaut.”

But Jocelyn debuted as a girl name in the U.S. data in 1900:

  • 1902: unlisted
  • 1901: unlisted
  • 1900: 6 baby girls named Jocelyn [debut]
  • 1899: unlisted
  • 1898: unlisted

The slight rise in usage is mirrored in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) data:

  • 1902: 6 people named Jocelyn
  • 1901: 10 people named Jocelyn
  • 1900: 14 people named Jocelyn
  • 1899: 2 people named Jocelyn
  • 1898: 6 people named Jocelyn

What was drawing people’s attention to the name Jocelyn at that time?

Mary Johnston’s story To Have and to Hold* — a historical romance set in early 17th-century Jamestown that featured a female character named Lady Jocelyn Leigh.

The book "To Have and to Hold" (1900)
“To Have and to Hold”

The story was first serialized in Atlantic Monthly (1899), then published as a standalone book (1900). The book “sold more than 135,000 copies in its first week. It was the best-selling novel of the year and the most successful popular novel in the United States between the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 and Gone with the Wind in 1936.”

Hollywood proceeded to produce two silent films based on To Have and to Hold. One came out in 1915, the other in 1922. The release of each film gave the usage of girl-name Jocelyn a boost (in 1916 and in 1923).

What are your thoughts on the name Jocelyn?

Sources:

*Here’s the text of To Have and to Hold at Project Gutenberg, if you’d like to check it out.