girl's name
Jo
JOH
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 2
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 181,807
Scotland
#782
2010 births
Jo is a name serving as the short form of Joanne, Josephine and Joan for women and Joseph for men. Our data marks it reviving, and 99 percent of the births in our records are female.
- Jo is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1954, when 8,077 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 75,352 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 69 |
| 1890s | 140 |
| 1900s | 311 |
| 1910s | 1,266 |
| 1920s | 7,061 |
| 1930s | 28,931 |
| 1940s | 48,722 |
| 1950s | 64,223 |
| 1960s | 20,403 |
| 1970s | 6,094 |
| 1980s | 2,138 |
| 1990s | 686 |
| 2000s | 303 |
| 2010s | 298 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 266 |
What Jo means
Jo means God is gracious through Joan and Joanne, or God will add through Josephine and Joseph. The two Hebrew sources are different names sharing a divine element.
Where Jo comes from
Jo shortens names built on two Hebrew originals. Joan, Joanne and Johanna descend from Yochanan, God is gracious. Josephine and Joseph descend from Yosef, he will add — the name Rachel gives her son in Genesis, asking God to add another. Both begin with a form of the divine name, which is why English clipping lands on the same syllable. Jo March in Little Women, published in 1868, is the bearer who fixed it as a woman's name in its own right rather than an abbreviation.
Jo in use
Jo peaked in the United States in 1954, when 8,077 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now charts in two of the seven markets we track — 4053rd in the United States on 44 births and 7162nd in France — across 181,807 lifetime births. About 99 percent of recorded births are female, so despite serving Joseph as well it has become almost entirely a woman's name.
How popular is Jo?
In 2025, Jo was given to 44 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jo 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 Jo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jo also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jo over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jo 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 Jo
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jo — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jo
What does the name Jo mean?
God is gracious through Joan, or God will add through Josephine — two different Hebrew names.
What is Jo short for?
Joanne, Josephine or Joan for women, and Joseph for men — though 99 percent of our records are female.
Is Jo from Little Women?
Jo March fixed it as a woman's name in its own right after 1868.
Is Jo coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, though from a low base.
How popular is the name Jo?
In 2025, Jo was given to 44 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Jo a girl's or a boy's name?
Jo is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jo?
Jo has 1 syllable.
When was Jo most popular?
Jo peaked in 1954, when 8,077 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Jo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jo currently ranks #4,053 in the United States. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.