Fun Facts About the Name Journey
- More than 22 thousand babies named Journey: U.S. records list 22,860 babies given the name Journey from 1880 through 2025. Even 2,008 boys received the name Journey - about 1 boy for every 10 girls.
What Does the Name Journey Mean?
The English given name Journey means "a journey" or "a trip." It is taken directly from the common English noun journey, which was borrowed from Old French journée. In Old French that word first meant a day's travel, a day's work, or the distance that could be covered in a day, and it goes back to Latin diurnum, "of a day," from dies, "day."
Because the name is a word name, its meaning is the everyday sense of the word rather than a translation from an older personal name. The time element found in the French source has faded in modern English, so journey now refers to travel or passage from one place to another, and the name is understood in that sense. The English surname Journey, spelled in several ways, comes from the same French word and most likely described a traveler or a day laborer; some use of the given name may trace back to that surname, though the link is not firmly documented.
Journey Name History & Origins
English speakers have long turned ordinary words into given names - Grace, Hope, Joy, and Prudence are old examples - and Journey belongs to that same pattern of vocabulary names. It came into wider use in English-speaking countries in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and it is given to both girls and boys, more often to girls.
The word itself has a long recorded life in English. Middle English had forms such as journee and iournee, borrowed from Old French, and over time the word narrowed from "a day's travel" to "travel" or "a trip" in general. That shift is why the name reads as a straightforward word rather than as a traceable medieval personal name.
Two settings made the word widely familiar without being sources of the name. The American rock band Journey, formed in San Francisco in 1973, put "journey" in front of a large popular-music audience; religious and inspirational writing also often describes a life as a journey. Neither explains where the given name came from, and neither can be shown to have caused its use as a name.
How Popular is the Name Journey?
Journey recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #226 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #411 | 757 | 0.0471% |
| 2024 | #322 | 954 | 0.0591% |
| 2023 | #333 | 930 | 0.0580% |
| 2022 | #313 | 1,021 | 0.0623% |
| 2021 | #265 | 1,176 | 0.0717% |
| 2020 | #292 | 1,090 | 0.0675% |
| 2019 | #246 | 1,295 | 0.0772% |
| 2018 | #226 | 1,396 | 0.0821% |
| 2017 | #276 | 1,165 | 0.0675% |
| 2016 | #262 | 1,216 | 0.0686% |
| 2015 | #274 | 1,157 | 0.0648% |
| 2014 | #288 | 1,126 | 0.0630% |
| 2013 | #335 | 960 | 0.0547% |
| 2012 | #327 | 958 | 0.0544% |
| 2011 | #371 | 867 | 0.0493% |
| 2010 | #419 | 754 | 0.0424% |
| 2009 | #498 | 613 | 0.0334% |
| 2008 | #591 | 527 | 0.0279% |
| 2007 | #690 | 422 | 0.0220% |
| 2006 | #821 | 331 | 0.0174% |
| 2005 | #772 | 343 | 0.0186% |
| 2004 | #930 | 259 | 0.0141% |
| 2003 | #900 | 265 | 0.0145% |
| 2002 | #936 | 239 | 0.0133% |
| 2001 | #941 | 235 | 0.0131% |
| 2000 | #1,192 | 168 | 0.0093% |
| 1999 | #953 | 217 | 0.0122% |
| 1998 | #1,561 | 106 | 0.0060% |
| 1997 | #2,295 | 59 | 0.0034% |
| 1996 | #2,191 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 1995 | #2,809 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #3,943 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1993 | #6,414 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #6,823 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #5,521 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #9,648 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,125 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #6,043 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #7,016 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #5,931 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1984 | #8,553 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #10,983 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #8,493 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,951 | 79 | 0.0046% |
| 2024 | #1,836 | 88 | 0.0051% |
| 2023 | #1,673 | 102 | 0.0060% |
| 2022 | #1,696 | 101 | 0.0058% |
| 2021 | #1,457 | 124 | 0.0071% |
| 2020 | #1,392 | 125 | 0.0072% |
| 2019 | #1,414 | 124 | 0.0069% |
| 2018 | #1,568 | 107 | 0.0059% |
| 2017 | #1,493 | 113 | 0.0061% |
| 2016 | #1,600 | 102 | 0.0054% |
| 2015 | #2,078 | 68 | 0.0035% |
| 2014 | #1,914 | 76 | 0.0040% |
| 2013 | #2,052 | 66 | 0.0035% |
| 2012 | #1,793 | 83 | 0.0044% |
| 2011 | #2,186 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 2010 | #1,947 | 72 | 0.0038% |
| 2009 | #2,680 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 2008 | #2,151 | 63 | 0.0031% |
| 2007 | #2,783 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #4,431 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #2,778 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2004 | #3,327 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2003 | #3,020 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2002 | #3,225 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2001 | #2,715 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #3,182 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #2,695 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1998 | #3,344 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #5,463 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #2,510 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #4,653 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #7,339 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,387 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #7,608 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #7,543 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #5,444 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,960 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,864 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Journey Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Journey's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Journey's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.