Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Jo?
Births per year, rank history and how many Jos are alive today.
Jo (female) is a shortened form of the name Joanne (and sometimes of Joanna). Jo itself was last registered for 3 babies in 2013; most Jos are registered as Joanne, which ranked 1719th in 2025 with 17 babies.
Most people called Jo are registered as Joanne, and share that name's profile: the Joanne you are most likely to meet is around 52 years old. Half of all Joannes born in England and Wales are between 47 and 59, and there are at least 130,000 of them alive today. Only some Joannes go by Jo.
How many babies are named Jo or Joanne each year?
Combined registrations of Joanne, Jo. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Joanne rank as a registered name?
Where does Jo rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Jo short for Joanne?
Yes - Jo is a shortened form of Joanne. It is also used for Joanna. Jos are usually registered as Joanne at birth.
When was the name Jo most popular?
The full name Joanne peaked in 1974, when around 7,400 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Jo itself peaked as a registered name in 1996, with 31 babies.
How many people are called Jo?
There's no official count of people who go by Jo, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 130,000 people registered as Joanne born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Jo.
How old is the typical Jo?
Most people called Jo are registered as Joanne. Most living Joannes are between 47 and 59; the most common age is about 52.
Is Jo becoming more or less popular?
Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1974 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.