Girls' name · since 1881
Jo
Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 179,057 babies named Jo, peaking in 1954. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #223 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,979 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 179,057
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
Jo currently ranks #3979 among girls' names in America, with 179,057 babies recorded since 1881.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jo has been recorded 179,057 times among girls since 1881, currently ranked #3979 nationally and more common than 77% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #223 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,979 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 179,057 born since 1881
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jo ranks #223 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,979 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 179,057 born since 1881, peaking in the 1950s.
- #223 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,979 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 179,057
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
Jo's 179,057 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Jo compares
179,057 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jo's all-time total is 476x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jo | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 179,057 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,052 | 21 | 19,840 |
Jo's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Jo splits its recorded history at 1954: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1954 peak of 8,052 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Jo popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1954)
- 8,052
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Jo popularity over time - boys
1,854 total births recorded since 1911 (Jo as boys' name)
Jo by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (63,939 births, 36% of the file).
1950s was Jo's strongest decade.
63,939 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Jo births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 69
1880s
69 births
- 1890s 140
1890s
140 births
- 1900s 311
1900s
311 births
- 1910s 1,192
1910s
1,192 births
- 1920s 6,896
1920s
6,896 births
- 1930s
1930s
28,653 births
- 1940s
1940s
48,449 births
- 1950s
1950s
63,939 births
- 1960s 20,197
1960s
20,197 births
- 1970s 5,918
1970s
5,918 births
- 1980s 1,985
1980s
1,985 births
- 1990s 609
1990s
609 births
- 2000s 223
2000s
223 births
- 2010s 246
2010s
246 births
- 2020s 230
2020s
230 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 63,939 births (36% of all-time use).
How Jo compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Jo's total volume
Jo by state
Where Jo concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 19,389 | 10.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 12,229 | 6.8% |
| #3 | California | | 9,497 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 8,336 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 7,819 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 7,267 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 6,165 | 3.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 6,152 | 3.4% |
19,389 of 179,057 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jo appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jo? ▼
Where does Jo sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Jo most popular? ▼
Where is Jo most popular? ▼
How long has the name Jo been used? ▼
What names are similar to Jo? ▼
What to do with Jo's data
- Jo's decade-level peak was the 1950s (63,939 total births); usage has since declined to 230 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Jos (19,389 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jo
Nearby Names Like Jo
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jo
Compare Jo side by side: Jo vs Joyce Jo vs Joan Jo vs Josephine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jo
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Jo: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1954)
Similar record span (~144 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jo draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.