Unisex name · Chinese
Bo
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: wave, written 波Bo is a gender-neutral name that comes from Chinese and means "wave, written 波". It is used in Chinese.
- Meaning
- Wave, written 波
- Origin
- Chinese
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #4570 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bo
As a gender-neutral name, Bo comes from Chinese and means "wave, written 波". It is used in Chinese.
Its meaning puts Bo on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Bo on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Bo on 3 lists.
“Short, sweet and easy to holler across a field”
From Redneck names for boys, nickname-style redneck boy names
“Short and easygoing”
From Porch goose names, southern and country porch goose names
“Wave, written 波; Chinese”
From Ocean names, names that mean wave
How popular is Bo?
In 2025, 30 girls and 698 boys in the US were named Bo.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #4,570
- 30 babies, 19 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2,873 in 1980
- Most babies: 42 in 2021
- Babies since 1929
- At least 865
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 11 per million |
| 1990s | 6 per million |
| 2000s | 9 per million |
| 2010s | 13 per million |
| 2020s | 16 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,020 | #5,860 | #4,369 | #4,458 | #5,894 | #3,627 | #4,689 | #5,583 | #6,679 | #4,570 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #449
- 698 babies, 409 per million boys
- Best rank
- #449 in 2025
- 698 babies that year
- Babies since 1907
- At least 14,984
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 4 per million |
| 1910s | 3 per million |
| 1920s | 4 per million |
| 1930s | 2 per million |
| 1940s | 3 per million |
| 1950s | 7 per million |
| 1960s | 13 per million |
| 1970s | 34 per million |
| 1980s | 101 per million |
| 1990s | 110 per million |
| 2000s | 111 per million |
| 2010s | 206 per million |
| 2020s | 365 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #595 | #610 | #572 | #566 | #540 | #480 | #497 | #478 | #452 | #449 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Bo
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- BomSpring (Korean, girl)
- BenSon of the right hand (Hebrew, boy)
- BayA sheltered curve of coast (English, unisex)
- BetoPet form of Alberto or Roberto (Spanish, boy)
- BinRefined, elegant (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- BoazSwiftness (Hebrew, boy)
- BomiBeautiful treasure (depends on hanja) (Korean, girl)
- BoraPurple, violet (Korean, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- UndineWave (Latin, girl)
- AimiLove and beauty, written 愛美 (Japanese, girl)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AldaWave (Icelandic, girl)
- AsahiMorning sun, written 朝日 (Japanese, unisex)
- BáraWave (Icelandic, girl)
- BylgjaBillow, wave (Icelandic, girl)
- ChaoyangMorning sun, written 朝阳 (Chinese, boy)
- ChenxiMorning sunlight, written 晨曦 (Chinese, unisex)
- GalWave (Hebrew, unisex)
Middle names for Bo
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Chinese
- JunTalented, handsome (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- ChengAccomplished; sincere (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- ChunSpringtime (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- FangFragrant (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- FengWind; summit (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- GangFirm, strong (Chinese, boy)
- GuangLight, bright (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- HaiThe sea (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- HaitaoSea waves, written 海涛 (Chinese, boy)
- HaiyanSea swallow, written 海燕 (Chinese, unisex)
Bo: common questions
What does the name Bo mean?
Bo comes from Chinese and means "wave, written 波".
Is Bo a boy or girl name?
Bo is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 30 girls and 698 boys in the US were named Bo, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Bo come from?
Bo comes from Chinese and means "wave, written 波". Today it is used in Chinese.
How popular is the name Bo?
Bo ranked #4,570 in the US in 2025, with 30 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Bo?
Names spelled like Bo include Bom, Ben, Bay, Beto and Bin.
What middle names go with Bo?
Middle names that flow well with Bo include Adeline, Angelina, David, Elowen and Faith. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.