boy's name
Bo
BOH
- Origin Scandinavian
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 2
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 17,996
the United States
#450
2025 births
Bo is a boy's name of Scandinavian origin meaning "to live" or "to dwell". It comes from the Old Norse bua, and it also functions as a short form of Robert, Bonnie and several others, and independently as a Chinese name.
- Bo is a name of Scandinavian origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 728 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,554 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1907.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 23 |
| 1920s | 47 |
| 1930s | 24 |
| 1940s | 51 |
| 1950s | 140 |
| 1960s | 258 |
| 1970s | 576 |
| 1980s | 2,052 |
| 1990s | 2,252 |
| 2000s | 2,388 |
| 2010s | 4,089 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,944 |
What Bo means
Bo means to dwell or to reside, from the Old Norse bua — the root behind the English abode and bower. As a short form it carries only whatever it shortens.
Where Bo comes from
Bo is a Danish and Swedish name from the Old Norse bua, to live or dwell, the root behind the English abode, bower and byre, and behind the Scandinavian word for a farm. It has been in continuous Scandinavian use for a thousand years. In English it also serves as a short form of Robert, Bonnie and Beauregard, and in the American South as an affectionate term of its own. In Chinese, bo is a separate name written with characters meaning wave or elder. Bo Diddley, Bo Jackson and Bo Derek all carry the American sense. It appears in our records from 1907 and reached its highest use in 2025.
Bo in use
Bo charts in only four of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Bo?
In 2025, Bo was given to 728 babies in the United States, ranking #450 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Bo is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bo also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bo over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Bo in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Bo
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bo — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bo
What does the name Bo mean?
To live or dwell, from the Old Norse bua — the root of abode and bower.
What is the difference between Bo and Beau?
They are unrelated. Beau is French for handsome; Bo is Scandinavian and means to dwell.
Is Bo short for something?
It can be — Robert, Bonnie and Beauregard all shorten to it — but in Scandinavia it stands alone.
How popular is the name Bo?
In 2025, Bo was given to 728 babies in the United States, ranking #450 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Bo a girl's or a boy's name?
Bo is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bo?
Bo has 1 syllable.
When was Bo most popular?
Bo peaked in 2025, when 728 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Bo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bo currently ranks #398 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.