# Jo (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jo/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒoʊ/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Joe |
| US babies named this | 180,911 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,854 / 179,057 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 295, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 8,395 |
| 2012 | 18 | 6,987 |
| 2013 | 15 | 7,950 |
| 2014 | 18 | 6,842 |
| 2015 | 27 | 5,043 |
| 2016 | 34 | 4,298 |
| 2017 | 40 | 3,808 |
| 2018 | 40 | 3,758 |
| 2019 | 34 | 4,209 |
| 2020 | 35 | 4,048 |
| 2021 | 42 | 3,641 |
| 2022 | 36 | 4,075 |
| 2023 | 47 | 3,400 |
| 2024 | 34 | 4,247 |
| 2025 | 36 | 4,028 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9 | 7,842 |
| 2006 | 7 | 10,084 |
| 2007 | 12 | 6,846 |
| 2008 | 7 | 10,420 |
| 2010 | 7 | 10,174 |
| 2011 | 6 | 11,496 |
| 2012 | 11 | 7,275 |
| 2014 | 6 | 11,374 |
| 2016 | 7 | 10,177 |
| 2017 | 9 | 8,472 |
| 2018 | 6 | 11,421 |
| 2020 | 8 | 9,098 |
| 2023 | 9 | 8,555 |
| 2024 | 11 | 7,485 |
| 2025 | 8 | 9,273 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25 | 869 |
| 1999 | 16 | 1,216 |
| 2000 | 18 | 1,095 |
| 2001 | 20 | 1,025 |
| 2002 | 14 | 1,372 |
| 2003 | 17 | 1,269 |
| 2004 | 10 | 1,952 |
| 2005 | 15 | 1,500 |
| 2006 | 7 | 2,781 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4,294 |
| 2008 | 7 | 3,005 |
| 2009 | 6 | 3,422 |
| 2010 | 3 | 5,707 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4,838 |
| 2013 | 3 | 5,742 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 | 2,074 |
| 1999 | 6 | 1,850 |
| 2000 | 7 | 1,703 |
| 2001 | 4 | 2,587 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3,467 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3,651 |
| 2005 | 6 | 2,418 |
| 2006 | 3 | 4,052 |
| 2008 | 4 | 3,687 |
| 2009 | 8 | 2,318 |
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2014 | 3 | 4,632 |
| 2016 | 3 | 4,810 |
| 2021 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,001 |

## People named Jo

- Jo Van Fleet, American actress (1915-1996)
- Jojo Moyes, British novelist and journalist
- Jo Jorgensen, American politician, 2020 Libertarian Party presidential candidate
- Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
- Jo Swinson, British politician and leader of the Liberal Democrats (born 1980)
- Jo Stafford, American singer (1917–2008)
- Amy Jo Johnson, American actress
- Mary Jo Catlett, American actress
- Wendie Jo Sperber, American actress (1958–2005)
- Jo Jones, American jazz drummer (1911–1985)
- Jo Freeman, American feminist, political scientist, writer and attorney
- Jo Brand, British comedian

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.