Fun Facts About the Name Koko
- 95 babies named Koko: U.S. records list 95 babies given the name Koko from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Koko Mean?
Koko has no single origin and therefore no single meaning. Its best-documented use as a given name is Japanese, where a name's meaning comes from the kanji a family chooses. Koko is written with a character such as 心, "heart" (a character usually read kokoro), or in the phonetic katakana spelling ココ. In the katakana form the name is only a sound and carries no meaning at all. The everyday Japanese word ここ, "here," is written with the same kana, but it is a different word and is not the source of the name.
Outside Japan, Koko is normally a nickname rather than a formal given name. It repeats the syllable ko, and nicknames of this shape have no dictionary meaning. The k spelling is separate from the French nickname Coco, familiar from the designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel; the two spellings are not necessarily related.
Koko Name History & Origins
Japanese given names are usually written with kanji chosen by the parents, so a name pronounced Koko can be given more than one sense, and there is no single line of descent for the name as a whole. Alongside kanji spellings, the katakana form ココ is used, which avoids attaching a meaning to the name entirely.
In English the name has a separate life as a nickname and a stage name. In Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado (1885) the Lord High Executioner is named Ko-Ko, and Koko is the clown in Max Fleischer's Out of the Inkwell cartoons, which began in 1918. The blues singer Cora Walton performed as Koko Taylor, and the professional wrestler Freddie Joe Floyd used the ring name Koko B. Ware.
The most widely known bearer of the name is Koko, a western lowland gorilla born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4, 1971, who was taught a modified form of sign language. Her formal name was Hanabiko (花火子), "fireworks child," chosen for her Independence Day birth; Koko was the short name she was known by.
Peter Straub's 1988 thriller Koko takes its title from a character's nickname, another fictional use of the name.
How Popular is the Name Koko?
Koko 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 2020. Its best rank was #9,252 in 2020.
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 | #11,456 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #9,322 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #16,590 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #9,963 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #9,252 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #11,927 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #13,192 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #13,880 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #18,290 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #18,846 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #19,127 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,028 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #11,345 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Koko Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Koko's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Koko's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.