Jo
Jo is a man's name in Norway and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 3% male / 97% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Korea, Netherlands
- US births since 1880
- 1,812 male / 178,767 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Jo
To address Jo when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Jo," in English, "Guten Tag Jo," in German. Jo is a man's name in Norway and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Jo,
German
Guten Tag Jo,
French
Bonjour Jo,
Spanish
Estimado/a Jo:
Chinese
Jo您好：
Japanese
Jo様
English
Hi Jo,
German
Hi Jo,
French
Salut Jo,
Spanish
Hola Jo,
Chinese
Jo你好：
Japanese
Joさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 1% |
| Korea | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| Belgium | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
1,812 male · 178,767 female · 180,579 births recorded
Since 1980: 11% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jo a male or female name?
Jo is a man's name in Norway and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Jo in an email?
To address Jo when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Jo," in English, "Guten Tag Jo," in German. Jo is a man's name in Norway and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Jo a unisex name?
Jo is not a unisex name: 3% of people named Jo are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Jo a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/jo (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_jo,
title = {Is Jo a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/jo},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}