boy's name
Reo
RAY-oh
- Origin Japanese
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 1,392
Scotland
#199
2024 births
Reo is a boy's name used in Japanese, where it is written with a range of characters, and in Māori, where it means voice or language. It peaked in 1919 and is reviving now — the longest gap between high point and recovery in the current Scottish top 200.
- Reo is a name of Japanese origin.
- Peaked in 1919, when 22 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 276,319 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 108 |
| 1920s | 124 |
| 1930s | 39 |
| 1940s | 63 |
| 1950s | 49 |
| 1960s | 23 |
| 1970s | 29 |
| 1980s | 83 |
| 1990s | 95 |
| 2000s | 70 |
| 2010s | 97 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 82 |
What Reo means
Reo has no single meaning. In Japanese it depends entirely on which characters are chosen to write it; in Māori, te reo means the language, and reo alone is voice.
Where Reo comes from
Reo works differently from most names here because in Japanese the sound comes first and the meaning is chosen afterwards. Written 玲央 it suggests the clear ring of a jewel with a sense of centrality; written 怜央 it carries wise or thoughtful; other combinations give a reading involving a river or a cherry blossom. Parents select the characters, so two boys named Reo can hold entirely different meanings and the name has no fixed etymology at all. Separately, reo is the Māori word for voice or language, most familiar in te reo Māori, the name of the language itself. In our records the name has a third and older thread in early twentieth-century American use whose source is not clear.
Reo in use
Reo ranks 199th in Scotland on 21 births, 421st in Northern Ireland, 1155th in England and Wales on 25 and 6830th in the United States. It peaked in the United States in 1919, when 22 babies were registered, and is reviving in our data — a gap of 106 years between the high point and the current recovery, the longest of any name entering the Scottish top 200. Our records carry it from 1912 across 1,392 lifetime births.
How popular is Reo?
In 2025, Reo was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Reo 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 Reo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Reo 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.
Common questions about Reo
What does the name Reo mean?
In Japanese it depends on the characters chosen — there is no single meaning. In Māori, reo means voice or language.
Is Reo the same as Rio?
No. Rio is Spanish and Portuguese for river; Reo is a separate name with Japanese and Māori sources.
How do you pronounce Reo?
RAY-oh, in two syllables.
Is Reo a new name?
Our records carry it from 1912. It peaked in 1919 and is reviving now, more than a century later.
How popular is the name Reo?
In 2025, Reo was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Reo a girl's or a boy's name?
Reo is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Reo?
Reo has 2 syllables.
When was Reo most popular?
Reo peaked in 1919, when 22 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Reo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reo currently ranks #199 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s 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.