Bo

What Bo means

Swedish, from Old Norse Búi, meaning “dweller, long-time resident”

From Old Norse Búi (“dweller, long-time resident”), originally a medieval byname.

Source: Wiktionary, “Bo” (revision 92453377), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Bo?

US: Rising: up from #618 in 2015. England & Wales: Steady: #2020 in 2015, #2014 now.

Biggest US share so far: 2025, when 698 boys got the name (#449 that year). First in the US records in 1907.

How common

• About 1 in 2,447 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 22,661 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in MT (1.86 per 1,000 boys), SD (1.82 per 1,000 boys), WV (1.46 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Bo is #449 in the US and #2014 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 95.9% of US babies named Bo were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

Other spellings

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Boe35 US · 4 E&W
• Boy18 US
• Bow13 US · 3 E&W
• Bao10 US
• Bay0 US · 5 E&W

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Bo

Boys

• Otto#277“wealth, riches”^*
• Otis#652Editor’s note More popular in England & Wales than the US: #71 vs #652 in 2025
• Everett#77Same root as Everard, meaning “wild boar + hard, brave”^*
• Augustine#545Same root as Austin, meaning “majestic”^*
• Conrad#417“bold, brave + counsel”^*
• Archie#301“anti-aircraft artillery”^*

For a sister

• Margot#102Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #592 in 2015, #102 in 2025
• Jane#221“God is gracious”^*
• Amalia#566“vigor, bravery”^*
• Louise#514Feminine form of Louis, meaning “loud; famous + battle”^*
• Ada#219“noble”^*
• Louisa#694Form of Louis, meaning “loud; famous + battle”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under French, Germanic, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Bo’s. Rank is US 2025.