Fun Facts About the Name Yago
- 301 babies named Yago: U.S. records list 301 babies given the name Yago from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yago Mean?
Yago is a masculine given name meaning "supplanter," used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions. It is a variant of Iago, the Galician and Portuguese form of Jacob (James), and it ultimately comes from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov. The Hebrew name is traditionally connected with the word 'aqev (heel), because the biblical Jacob was born holding his twin brother Esau's heel. That gives the literal sense "heel-holder" or "one who follows at the heel." The customary English meaning, "supplanter," comes from the same story, in which Jacob later takes Esau's birthright and blessing. The name reached Iberia through Greek Iakōbos and Latin Iacobus, which became Iago and then Yago in older Spanish spelling. Its meaning is the same as that of Jacob and James.
Yago Name History & Origins
The name entered the Iberian Peninsula with the Christian cult of Saint James, the apostle whose shrine at Santiago de Compostela became a major pilgrimage site. In medieval Spanish and Galician-Portuguese, the apostle's name was written Iago or Yago; the place-name and given name Santiago is a contraction of Sant Yago, "Saint James." Yago itself has remained a given name in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, often alongside the form Iago. The spelling with Y reflects older Iberian practice, when Y and I were used interchangeably for the initial sound. The related form Iago is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's Othello, but that literary use belongs to Iago, not to Yago.
How Popular is the Name Yago?
Yago 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 2018. Its best rank was #3,987 in 2018.
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 | #8,224 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #9,813 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #12,173 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #5,202 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2021 | #6,013 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #5,219 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #5,543 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #3,987 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #4,739 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #5,118 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #7,046 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #8,100 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #5,643 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #10,722 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #7,481 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #9,652 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #6,414 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #8,993 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #6,598 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #10,623 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #6,617 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #13,155 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #10,858 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,627 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #6,317 | 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 Yago Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Yago's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yago's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.