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At a Glance: Name: Jo – Meaning: short form of Joanna ('God is gracious'), Joseph, or related Jo- names – Origin: English (hypocorism, multiple source names) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: JOH
Jo (pronounced JOH) is a clean, modern name used for any gender, and it's really a hypocorism — a short form English speakers have pulled from several longer names, including Joanna, Joseph, Jolene, and George. You may see it glossed simply as meaning 'God is gracious,' but that's only accurate for the Joan/Joanna line — since Jo also stands in for Joseph and George, it doesn't have one fixed meaning. If Jo appeals to you, it's worth choosing for its short, adaptable form rather than for a single source name.
Meaning & Origin of Jo
Meaning: Short form of joanna ('god is gracious'), joseph, or related jo- names.
Origin: English (hypocorism, multiple source names).
A common claim: Commonly glossed simply as meaning 'God is gracious,' following the Joanna derivation. Actually: Accurate only for the Joan/Joanna lineage; Jo is also short for Joseph, Josephine, Jolene, and George, so 'God is gracious' isn't the single fixed meaning of Jo.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Jo
Phonetic: JOH IPA: /ˈdʒoʊ/
Popularity of Jo
SSA records for Jo run from 1881 to 2024, with the name peaking at #51 in 1947 (6,724 babies) before falling to #4,314 in 2024, when just 33 babies were given the name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1881–2024.
Make Jo Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Jo, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Jo mean?
Short form of joanna (‘god is gracious’), joseph, or related jo- names. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Jo)
How do you pronounce Jo?
Jo is pronounced JOH (IPA: /ˈdʒoʊ/).
Is Jo a popular name right now?
Jo peaked at #51 in 1947 and is ranked #4314 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1881–2024.)
📊 How popular is Jo? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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