Fun Facts About the Name Io
- 226 babies named Io: U.S. records list 226 babies given the name Io from 1880 through 2025. Even 36 boys received the name Io - about 1 boy for every 5 girls.
What Does the Name Io Mean?
Io (Greek Ἰώ, Latin Io) is a Greek name whose meaning is uncertain. The name has no securely established Greek root, and ancient writers use it as a personal name without preserving an etymology. A common suggestion connects it with the Greek exclamation ἰώ (iō), a cry of grief or address in tragedy, but this is not an accepted derivation. The later use of Io for a moon of Jupiter is an astronomical association, not part of the name's etymology.
Io Name History & Origins
Io is best known as a figure in Greek myth. She was a daughter of Inachus and a priestess of Hera at Argos; Zeus loved her, and Hera - or Zeus, in some versions - changed her into a white heifer. Hera tormented her with a gadfly, and Io wandered through the Greek world, across the Bosporus, and eventually to Egypt, where she was restored and gave birth to Epaphus. Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound gives one of the fullest early literary accounts of her suffering and wandering; Herodotus treats the story more rationally as a tale of abduction, and Ovid retells her transformation in the Metamorphoses. In Hellenistic and Roman times Io was sometimes identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis. The name passed from Greek into Latin as Io and later into English. It was also given to one of Jupiter's moons, discovered in 1610 and named in the following years, which kept the mythological name in learned use.
How Popular is the Name Io?
Io has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #6,548 in 2022.
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 | #15,815 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #9,867 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #6,548 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2021 | #7,401 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #9,171 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #14,480 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #9,409 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #13,249 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #7,382 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #17,494 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #9,191 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #9,239 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #9,311 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #11,547 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #15,702 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #12,902 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #18,585 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #18,695 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #18,221 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #13,276 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #15,968 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,744 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #12,949 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,397 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #9,951 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #11,217 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #10,041 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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 Io 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 find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Io's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Io's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.