How Many People Are Named Jo?
An estimated 98,101 people in the United States have the first name Jo. It is predominantly female (99.0%). The average bearer is 71 years old, and Jo peaked in popularity in 1954 with 8,077 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Jo as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Jo paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Jo is overwhelmingly female, 1,846 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 71, Jo is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1965.
- Jo has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
98,101
About 1 in 3,494 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
99.0% confidence
Average Age
71
years old
Peak Year
1954
8,077 births
Total Registered
180,866
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Jo
Jo is predominantly female (99.0%), though 1,846 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Jo as a male name
Ranked #7,449 in 2024
11 male births in 2024
Peak: 1960 (40 births)
Jo as a female name
Ranked #4,314 in 2024
33 female births in 2024
Peak: 1954 (8,052 births)
Jo: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Jo span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 64,225 babies were registered. Jo has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Jo by Decade
How has Jo tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 69 | 0 | 69 | |
| 1890s | 140 | 0 | 140 | |
| 1900s | 311 | 0 | 311 | |
| 1910s | 1,266 | 74 | 1,192 | |
| 1920s | 7,061 | 165 | 6,896 | |
| 1930s | 28,931 | 278 | 28,653 | |
| 1940s | 48,722 | 273 | 48,449 | |
| 1950s | 64,225 | 284 | 63,941 | |
| 1960s | 20,401 | 206 | 20,195 | |
| 1970s | 6,094 | 176 | 5,918 | |
| 1980s | 2,138 | 153 | 1,985 | |
| 1990s | 686 | 77 | 609 | |
| 2000s | 303 | 80 | 223 | |
| 2010s | 298 | 52 | 246 | |
| 2020s | 221 | 28 | 193 | |
Jo by State
Birth registrations for Jo span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, New York, California. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Vermont. On average, about 3,443 Jos were registered per state.
Jo + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Jo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Jo
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
Jo: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jo?
We estimate approximately 98,101 people named Jo are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 3,494 Americans share this first name.
Is Jo a common name?
Jo is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 180,866 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Jo most popular?
Jo reached peak popularity in 1954, when 8,077 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Jo is approximately 71 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Jo a female name?
Jo is predominantly female. 99.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Jo Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Jo Smith, Jo Johnson, Jo Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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