Jo
Jo is given to both girls and boys: 36 girls and 8 boys were given it in 2025 (#4,027 among girls’ names and #9,269 among boys’, #6,151 among all names counting both); 180,911 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 112,000 Americans named Jo and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (62% of everyone recorded); the median is 72 years old and half are between 67 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jo by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jo mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jo is “a female given name.”
Clipping or hypochoristic form of various female given names beginning with Jo..., primarily Joan, Joanna, etc. but also Josephine and Jolene. Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in reference to the first derivation.
/d͡ʒoʊ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jo?
#4,027 among girls’ names, 2025
Jo rose from #5,041 in 2015 to #4,027 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 15.1 to 22.4 per million.
8,077 babies in 1954, the peak
Jo peaked in 1954, when 8,077 babies were given it (8,052 girls, #53 among girls’ names). The 44 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are under 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36 | #4,027 | 0.02 |
| 2024 | 34 | #4,246 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 47 | #3,400 | 0.03 |
| 2022 | 36 | #4,073 | 0.02 |
| 2021 | 42 | #3,640 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 35 | #4,047 | 0.02 |
| 2019 | 34 | #4,208 | 0.02 |
| 2018 | 40 | #3,757 | 0.02 |
| 2017 | 40 | #3,807 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 34 | #4,297 | 0.02 |
Every recorded year (144)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 27 | #5,041 | 0.02 |
| 2014 | 18 | #6,840 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 15 | #7,946 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 18 | #6,983 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8,391 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 6 | #15,869 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 18 | #7,182 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 17 | #7,553 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 18 | #7,230 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 25 | #5,452 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 17 | #6,970 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 18 | #6,611 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 29 | #4,462 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 29 | #4,325 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 28 | #4,368 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 24 | #4,865 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 45 | #2,953 | 0.03 |
| 1998 | 52 | #2,627 | 0.03 |
| 1997 | 58 | #2,314 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 44 | #2,771 | 0.03 |
| 1995 | 58 | #2,288 | 0.03 |
| 1994 | 64 | #2,127 | 0.04 |
| 1993 | 60 | #2,196 | 0.03 |
| 1992 | 70 | #1,967 | 0.04 |
| 1991 | 73 | #1,916 | 0.04 |
| 1990 | 85 | #1,721 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 89 | #1,573 | 0.05 |
| 1988 | 111 | #1,305 | 0.06 |
| 1987 | 132 | #1,130 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 109 | #1,251 | 0.06 |
| 1985 | 171 | #926 | 0.10 |
| 1984 | 210 | #769 | 0.12 |
| 1983 | 207 | #771 | 0.12 |
| 1982 | 267 | #665 | 0.16 |
| 1981 | 340 | #547 | 0.20 |
| 1980 | 349 | #540 | 0.21 |
| 1979 | 306 | #589 | 0.19 |
| 1978 | 323 | #549 | 0.21 |
| 1977 | 365 | #509 | 0.24 |
| 1976 | 417 | #461 | 0.28 |
| 1975 | 520 | #392 | 0.36 |
| 1974 | 587 | #366 | 0.40 |
| 1973 | 665 | #332 | 0.46 |
| 1972 | 722 | #325 | 0.47 |
| 1971 | 910 | #302 | 0.55 |
| 1970 | 1,103 | #272 | 0.63 |
| 1969 | 1,164 | #251 | 0.69 |
| 1968 | 1,325 | #226 | 0.81 |
| 1967 | 1,409 | #214 | 0.85 |
| 1966 | 1,590 | #200 | 0.94 |
| 1965 | 1,852 | #183 | 1.0 |
| 1964 | 2,052 | #184 | 1.1 |
| 1963 | 2,190 | #177 | 1.1 |
| 1962 | 2,449 | #167 | 1.2 |
| 1961 | 2,795 | #152 | 1.4 |
| 1960 | 3,371 | #134 | 1.7 |
| 1959 | 4,052 | #115 | 2.0 |
| 1958 | 5,226 | #91 | 2.6 |
| 1957 | 5,718 | #83 | 2.8 |
| 1956 | 6,953 | #69 | 3.5 |
| 1955 | 7,656 | #58 | 3.9 |
| 1954 | 8,052 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 1953 | 7,513 | #54 | 4.0 |
| 1952 | 7,092 | #55 | 3.8 |
| 1951 | 6,001 | #67 | 3.3 |
| 1950 | 5,676 | #64 | 3.3 |
| 1949 | 5,802 | #60 | 3.4 |
| 1948 | 5,986 | #56 | 3.5 |
| 1947 | 6,724 | #51 | 3.8 |
| 1946 | 5,828 | #53 | 3.7 |
| 1945 | 4,224 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1944 | 4,226 | #61 | 3.2 |
| 1943 | 4,300 | #63 | 3.1 |
| 1942 | 4,175 | #65 | 3.1 |
| 1941 | 3,757 | #66 | 3.1 |
| 1940 | 3,427 | #72 | 3.0 |
| 1939 | 3,524 | #70 | 3.2 |
| 1938 | 3,172 | #78 | 2.9 |
| 1937 | 3,226 | #73 | 3.0 |
| 1936 | 3,292 | #72 | 3.2 |
| 1935 | 3,296 | #73 | 3.1 |
| 1934 | 3,257 | #75 | 3.1 |
| 1933 | 2,541 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1932 | 2,388 | #103 | 2.2 |
| 1931 | 2,086 | #116 | 2.0 |
| 1930 | 1,871 | #131 | 1.7 |
| 1929 | 1,593 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1928 | 1,168 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1927 | 974 | #203 | 0.82 |
| 1926 | 815 | #222 | 0.69 |
| 1925 | 635 | #264 | 0.52 |
| 1924 | 534 | #285 | 0.43 |
| 1923 | 385 | #334 | 0.32 |
| 1922 | 302 | #376 | 0.25 |
| 1921 | 259 | #417 | 0.21 |
| 1920 | 231 | #444 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 227 | #437 | 0.20 |
| 1918 | 199 | #479 | 0.17 |
| 1917 | 145 | #563 | 0.13 |
| 1916 | 152 | #539 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 128 | #571 | 0.13 |
| 1914 | 103 | #550 | 0.14 |
| 1913 | 89 | #538 | 0.14 |
| 1912 | 68 | #593 | 0.12 |
| 1911 | 41 | #680 | 0.10 |
| 1910 | 40 | #676 | 0.10 |
| 1909 | 41 | #610 | 0.12 |
| 1908 | 46 | #548 | 0.14 |
| 1907 | 33 | #660 | 0.10 |
| 1906 | 34 | #619 | 0.12 |
| 1905 | 34 | #606 | 0.12 |
| 1904 | 26 | #692 | 0.09 |
| 1903 | 29 | #617 | 0.11 |
| 1902 | 25 | #678 | 0.09 |
| 1901 | 19 | #754 | 0.08 |
| 1900 | 24 | #753 | 0.08 |
| 1899 | 17 | #801 | 0.07 |
| 1898 | 17 | #830 | 0.07 |
| 1897 | 16 | #811 | 0.07 |
| 1896 | 20 | #715 | 0.08 |
| 1895 | 11 | #1,017 | 0.05 |
| 1894 | 15 | #802 | 0.07 |
| 1893 | 9 | #1,048 | 0.04 |
| 1892 | 13 | #846 | 0.06 |
| 1891 | 15 | #710 | 0.08 |
| 1890 | 7 | #1,146 | 0.04 |
| 1889 | 11 | #824 | 0.06 |
| 1888 | 7 | #1,084 | 0.04 |
| 1887 | 5 | #1,222 | 0.03 |
| 1886 | 14 | #621 | 0.10 |
| 1885 | 11 | #676 | 0.08 |
| 1884 | 7 | #888 | 0.05 |
| 1883 | 9 | #669 | 0.08 |
| 1881 | 5 | #881 | 0.05 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Jo a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 180,911 Americans recorded as Jo, 99% are girls and 1% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Jo: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jo, and how old are they?
112,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 62% of the 180,911 Americans ever recorded as Jo. The median Jo alive today is 72 years old; half are between 67 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 57,903 people named Jo (54,854 women and girls, 3,049 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 130,372 born in the U.S. The Census count is 56% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 19,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 77,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 12,700 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 536 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 499 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Jo born?
The states with the most babies named Jo are Texas, New York and California, with 23% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 19,470 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| New York | 12,229 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| California | 9,507 | #2,627 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 8,336 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 7,819 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 7,267 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Tennessee | 6,165 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| North Carolina | 6,152 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Alabama | 5,651 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Kentucky | 5,398 | not ranked | 1.4× |
Where Jo is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jo is most over-represented in Texas: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Jo with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 803,879 babies since 1880, Jo is the second most given (23% of them). In 2025 it was given to 44 of their 1,199 babies (3.7%), the fifth most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Jo
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Jo and names like it
- Compare Jo and JoeBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sJo peaked in 1954.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jo since 1910.
- The top names of 1954The year the most babies were named Jo.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Jo alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with JMost given first.