Fun Facts About the Name Ilo
- 779 babies named Ilo: U.S. records list 779 babies given the name Ilo from 1880 through 2025. Even 67 boys received the name Ilo - about 1 boy for every 11 girls.
What Does the Name Ilo Mean?
Ilo is a Finnic word name meaning "joy." It comes from the everyday noun ilo, which carries that same sense in Finnish and Estonian, the two largest languages of the Finnic group within the Uralic family. The name is a direct use of that common word rather than a short form, a compound, or a translation of some older personal name.
Word names of this kind are an established part of Finnic naming. Finnish and Estonian drew given names from native vocabulary, especially abstract nouns: Finnish onni ("happiness, luck"), toivo ("hope"), and sulo ("charm, grace") all became personal names, and Ilo follows that pattern with the meaning "joy." Names that merely resemble it are unrelated: Ilona is a Hungarian and Finnish form of Helen, and Iloilo is a Philippine place name.
Ilo Name History & Origins
Because ilo is an ordinary word shared by Finnish and Estonian, the name has no single moment of origin to trace. Both languages preserve the same noun for joy, and a speaker of either can understand the name at once. That transparency sets it apart from older Finnic names whose meanings have been blurred by centuries of sound change.
The practice of forming given names from Finnish and Estonian vocabulary widened in the nineteenth century, when scholars and writers in both countries promoted their national languages and assembled calendars of native names. Abstract nouns such as Onni, Toivo, and Sulo came into use in that setting. Ilo belongs to the same vocabulary-based layer of naming, but it has remained uncommon; it is a name met occasionally in Finland and Estonia rather than a widely used one.
In the United States, Ilo has appeared on its own as a woman's given name; Ilo Browne Wallace, wife of Vice President Henry A. Wallace, is one instance. Such uses are isolated, and nothing documented ties them specifically to the Finnic word name.
How Popular is the Name Ilo?
Ilo recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1921. Its best rank was #856 in 1899.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #12,624 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #14,100 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #15,333 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #5,640 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #5,240 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #4,843 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #4,680 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #4,050 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,271 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #3,230 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1935 | #3,024 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1934 | #2,129 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1933 | #2,321 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1932 | #2,298 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1931 | #2,357 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1930 | #2,058 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1929 | #2,047 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1928 | #1,932 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1927 | #1,912 | 21 | 0.0018% |
| 1926 | #2,786 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1925 | #1,864 | 22 | 0.0018% |
| 1924 | #2,030 | 20 | 0.0016% |
| 1923 | #2,053 | 19 | 0.0016% |
| 1922 | #1,811 | 23 | 0.0019% |
| 1921 | #1,419 | 33 | 0.0027% |
| 1920 | #1,679 | 25 | 0.0021% |
| 1919 | #1,581 | 26 | 0.0023% |
| 1918 | #1,992 | 19 | 0.0016% |
| 1917 | #1,449 | 27 | 0.0025% |
| 1916 | #1,761 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1915 | #1,422 | 26 | 0.0026% |
| 1914 | #1,244 | 25 | 0.0033% |
| 1913 | #1,560 | 15 | 0.0024% |
| 1912 | #1,385 | 16 | 0.0029% |
| 1911 | #1,858 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1910 | #1,690 | 9 | 0.0023% |
| 1909 | #1,079 | 15 | 0.0043% |
| 1908 | #1,302 | 11 | 0.0033% |
| 1907 | #1,336 | 10 | 0.0031% |
| 1906 | #1,481 | 8 | 0.0027% |
| 1905 | #2,073 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1904 | #1,205 | 10 | 0.0036% |
| 1903 | #1,253 | 9 | 0.0034% |
| 1902 | #1,510 | 7 | 0.0027% |
| 1901 | #1,270 | 8 | 0.0033% |
| 1900 | #1,364 | 9 | 0.0030% |
| 1899 | #856 | 15 | 0.0064% |
| 1898 | #984 | 13 | 0.0050% |
| 1897 | #1,455 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1896 | #1,350 | 7 | 0.0029% |
| 1895 | #1,085 | 10 | 0.0043% |
| 1891 | #1,050 | 8 | 0.0043% |
| 1890 | #1,415 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| 1889 | #1,371 | 5 | 0.0028% |
| 1888 | #1,201 | 6 | 0.0034% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,361 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #6,967 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #9,311 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #12,846 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,065 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #8,319 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #3,891 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #4,464 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,462 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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.
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How the Name Ilo Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ilo's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ilo's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.