Jo
Jo is a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Joanna, Joanne, Joseph, Josephine, George, etc. Notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Jo
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jo is a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Joanna, Joanne, Joseph, Josephine, George, etc. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Jo
Jo first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1881, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1954: 8,052 births, good for #53 nationwide. About 36% of every Jo on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Jo ranks #3,967 for baby girls with 37 births, holding steady (-1%). All told, over 179K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Jo
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jo is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jo
What does the name Jo mean?
How popular is Jo in 2026?
When was Jo most popular?
In which U.S. states is Jo most popular?
Is Jo a unisex name?
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About the name Jo
Jo is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 179K births in the dataset. Jo's peak popularity came in 1954 when it ranked #51. Use the chart and map above to compare Jo's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1954 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.