Skip to content
Name Lineage

    The first name Jo

    A girl’s name.

    Pronounced /d͡ʒoʊ/ 1 syllable Female Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    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.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    Jo last appeared in the official list in 2022, given to 4 boys. It peaked in 1996, with 31 births (#736).

    02040 1996200020052010201520202025
    GirlsBoys
    295
    babies named Jo, 1996–2025
    #4,001
    rank in 2022
    1996
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Jo with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Jo at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 36 girls born in the United States were named Jo, the 4,028th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1954, when 8,052 were.

    04,5009,000 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    180,911
    babies named Jo since 1880
    #4,028
    rank in 2025
    1954
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Nicknames and spellings

    Other spellings and forms

    Famous people named Jo

    61 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Jo Van Fleet
      American actress (1915-1996)
    • Jojo Moyes
      British novelist and journalist, born 1969
    • Jo Jorgensen
      American politician, 2020 Libertarian Party presidential candidate
    • Debra Jo Rupp
      American actress, born 1951
    • Jo Swinson
      British politician and leader of the Liberal Democrats (born 1980)
    • Jo Stafford
      American singer (1917–2008)
    • Amy Jo Johnson
      American actress, born 1970
    • Mary Jo Catlett
      American actress, born 1938
    • Wendie Jo Sperber
      American actress (1958–2005)
    • Jo Jones
      American jazz drummer (1911–1985)
    • Jo Freeman
      American feminist, political scientist, writer and attorney, born 1945
    • Jo Brand
      British comedian, born 1957

    Questions

    What does the name Jo mean?
    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,…
    How popular is the name Jo?
    In 2022, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Jo, ranking 4,001st. Its peak was 1996, with 31 births.
    Is Jo a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 180,911 US babies named Jo since 1880 were girls.
    When was Jo most popular?
    1954 in the United States, when 8,052 babies were named Jo, its highest rank at 53rd.
    How do you pronounce Jo?
    Jo is /d͡ʒoʊ/, one syllable.
    What are other spellings of Jo?
    Joe.
    Is Jo also a surname?
    Yes. Jo is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.