Jo
Meaning
diminutive of Joanna/Josephine, God is gracious
The formal names behind Jo
Jo is an established short form of each of these names.
Joseph · Hebrew origin · he will add
Josephine · Hebrew origin · Jehovah increases
Joanna · Hebrew origin · feminine form of John, "Yahweh is gracious"
Johanna · German origin · God is gracious
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Jo peaked in the 1950s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
3,582 people · the #3,452 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 55,556 · median age 37
Among people named Jo living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 195 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Jo
Most people given the name Jo in the United States were born between 1940 and 1969. The Jo you meet today is most often in her 60s or 70s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Jo deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Jo truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Jo fits with your family’s names and surname.
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