Fun Facts About the Name Bo
- More than 15 thousand babies named Bo: U.S. records list 15,844 babies given the name Bo from 1880 through 2025. Even 864 girls received the name Bo - about 1 girl for every 17 boys.
What Does the Name Bo Mean?
Bo is a masculine given name in Scandinavian use. It comes from the Old Norse verb búa, "to live, dwell," or the related noun bú, "household, estate," and its basic sense is "dweller" or "one who lives at a place." The Old Norse name Búi is a closely related form. In Chinese, Bo is a pinyin romanization of several different characters, so it has no single meaning: examples include 博 (bó), "broad, abundant, learned," and 波 (bō), "wave." These Chinese names are independent of the Scandinavian name.
Bo Name History & Origins
The Scandinavian name developed from the Old Norse verb búa and the noun bú. The masculine name Búi, meaning "dweller," is attested in Old Norse literature and later records. The shorter form Bo appears in medieval Swedish records, including the 14th-century magnate Bo Jonsson Grip, and has remained in use in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Swedish-speaking Finland. It also passed into English-speaking countries, where it is used for both sexes as a short given name and sometimes as a nickname; in that English use it does not always descend from the Scandinavian name. In Chinese, Bo is not one inherited name but a romanization of various characters, and its history belongs to the separate histories of those characters and their use in Chinese given names.
How Popular is the Name Bo?
Bo recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #449 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,570 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #6,958 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #5,579 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #4,687 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #3,623 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2020 | #5,889 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #4,458 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2018 | #4,368 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2017 | #5,860 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #5,020 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #7,028 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #8,126 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #5,164 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #6,640 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #6,895 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #6,953 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #7,734 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,384 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #6,357 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #4,836 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2005 | #6,045 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #9,356 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #5,846 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #7,494 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #10,236 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #15,389 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #9,601 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #9,370 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #14,021 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,904 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #8,155 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #5,748 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1993 | #5,989 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #6,051 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #6,636 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #5,588 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #5,324 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1988 | #5,358 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #4,876 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1986 | #5,481 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #4,475 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #4,178 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #4,704 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #4,366 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #3,257 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1980 | #2,873 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 1979 | #10,370 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #8,546 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1929 | #4,646 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #449 | 698 | 0.0409% |
| 2024 | #451 | 692 | 0.0403% |
| 2023 | #479 | 632 | 0.0370% |
| 2022 | #497 | 614 | 0.0352% |
| 2021 | #480 | 621 | 0.0355% |
| 2020 | #539 | 525 | 0.0304% |
| 2019 | #566 | 493 | 0.0275% |
| 2018 | #571 | 483 | 0.0266% |
| 2017 | #610 | 432 | 0.0233% |
| 2016 | #595 | 453 | 0.0239% |
| 2015 | #618 | 434 | 0.0226% |
| 2014 | #636 | 413 | 0.0215% |
| 2013 | #733 | 318 | 0.0168% |
| 2012 | #782 | 290 | 0.0153% |
| 2011 | #764 | 293 | 0.0154% |
| 2010 | #834 | 256 | 0.0133% |
| 2009 | #784 | 289 | 0.0146% |
| 2008 | #835 | 261 | 0.0128% |
| 2007 | #767 | 286 | 0.0138% |
| 2006 | #775 | 268 | 0.0130% |
| 2005 | #764 | 259 | 0.0130% |
| 2004 | #862 | 204 | 0.0103% |
| 2003 | #909 | 183 | 0.0093% |
| 2002 | #988 | 159 | 0.0082% |
| 2001 | #958 | 160 | 0.0082% |
| 2000 | #978 | 152 | 0.0077% |
| 1999 | #826 | 185 | 0.0096% |
| 1998 | #834 | 176 | 0.0092% |
| 1997 | #901 | 153 | 0.0081% |
| 1996 | #769 | 191 | 0.0101% |
| 1995 | #813 | 173 | 0.0091% |
| 1994 | #758 | 193 | 0.0100% |
| 1993 | #677 | 229 | 0.0117% |
| 1992 | #621 | 276 | 0.0138% |
| 1991 | #605 | 282 | 0.0140% |
| 1990 | #603 | 277 | 0.0135% |
| 1989 | #680 | 215 | 0.0107% |
| 1988 | #713 | 172 | 0.0090% |
| 1987 | #671 | 186 | 0.0100% |
| 1986 | #685 | 174 | 0.0094% |
| 1985 | #715 | 153 | 0.0083% |
| 1984 | #600 | 201 | 0.0111% |
| 1983 | #735 | 138 | 0.0077% |
| 1982 | #684 | 160 | 0.0088% |
| 1981 | #551 | 237 | 0.0132% |
| 1980 | #568 | 232 | 0.0130% |
| 1979 | #866 | 101 | 0.0059% |
| 1978 | #1,014 | 73 | 0.0044% |
| 1977 | #975 | 77 | 0.0047% |
| 1976 | #1,099 | 59 | 0.0038% |
| 1975 | #1,183 | 51 | 0.0033% |
| 1974 | #1,246 | 45 | 0.0029% |
| 1973 | #1,165 | 50 | 0.0032% |
| 1972 | #1,163 | 49 | 0.0030% |
| 1971 | #1,417 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1970 | #1,750 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1969 | #1,498 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1968 | #1,579 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1967 | #1,659 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1966 | #1,484 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1965 | #1,863 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1964 | #1,658 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1963 | #1,376 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1962 | #1,550 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1961 | #1,496 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 1960 | #1,555 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1959 | #1,625 | 24 | 0.0011% |
| 1958 | #1,731 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1957 | #2,383 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #2,375 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #2,587 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #2,120 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1953 | #2,051 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1952 | #2,161 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1951 | #2,511 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #2,599 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #2,034 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1948 | #2,458 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #2,897 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,021 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,654 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #3,502 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1936 | #3,602 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,703 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,406 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #3,052 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #2,933 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #2,954 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1923 | #4,316 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #4,373 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #3,918 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,246 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #3,784 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1918 | #3,404 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1916 | #2,568 | 10 | 0.0011% |
| 1907 | #1,365 | 5 | 0.0034% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
