Bo
Bo was the 449th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 698 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Bo in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Beau) handsome (French) · French
- Rank in 2025
- #449 boys, up 91 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 698boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025698 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,849babies recorded
What does the name Bo mean?
Bo is a spelling of Beau, pronounced the same way, so it shares Beau's meaning and origin.
Beau is the French word for 'handsome' or 'beautiful', the masculine form of belle. Wiktionary notes two routes into use as a first name: directly from the French word, and as a shortened form of French-derived surnames such as Beauregard and Beaumont, which were used as given names in the American South. The French word, from Latin bellus, 'pretty', also entered English as beau, a sweetheart or, in older use, a fashionable man. It has been a given name since the mid-20th century.
beau (French, “handsome, beautiful”)bellus (Latin, “pretty, fine”)
How sure is this? Probable. Both the word and the surname-shortening routes are given; which applies varies by family.
Related names: Bo, Beauregard, Beaumont, Belle.
See also: French names, names that mean beautiful.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Beau', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'beau', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Bo popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 865 since 1929, 30 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #449 | 698 |
| 2020 | #540 | 525 |
| 2010 | #834 | 256 |
| 2000 | #978 | 152 |
| 1990 | #603 | 277 |
| 1980 | #568 | 232 |
| 1970 | #1,749 | 25 |
| 1960 | #1,556 | 27 |
| 1950 | #2,599 | 9 |
| 1940 | #3,502 | 5 |
| 1930 | #3,052 | 8 |
| 1920 | #3,246 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bo, counting every spelling?
Bo is a spelling of Beau, a name family that ranked #51 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #449 for Bo on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,140 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau | 5,165 | #60 | 21,742 |
| Bo | 698 | #449 | 3,259 |
| Beaux | 236 | #970 | 1,101 |
| Boe | 35 | #3,318 | 176 |
| Bowe | 6 | #10,869 | 41 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Bo?
698 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bo (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bo?
About 14,400 people born in the US named Bo are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 6 and 33. That makes Bo mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bo by state
How common Bo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (4.1×), South Dakota (3.4×), Idaho (3.2×), Nebraska (3.0×), Arkansas (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Connecticut, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bo, they share its era and feel.
Bo is also a nickname for Boaz.
Questions about the name Bo
What does Bo mean?
Bo is a spelling of Beau, which means “handsome (French)” (French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Bo?
Bo was the 449th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 698 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 169 places. More babies were named Bo in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Bo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bo in the US.
Where is Bo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bo was most common in Montana (1.53 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Dakota and Idaho.