Go
A short verb conveying motion or traveling from one place to another.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Go. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Go today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Go births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Go. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Go. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#12,917
Tracked since 2017
Census
Go in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 576 people with the first name Go, which placed it at #18,647 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,647
National first-name rank
People counted
576
576 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
61.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Go
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Go is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Hispanic (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Go described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Go at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander61.5% · 354
- White20.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 62
- Black or African American4.9% · 28
- Two or more races1.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 4
Popularity
Go: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Go by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Go during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Go
The given name Go has its origins in East Asia, particularly in the languages and cultures of China and Japan. It is believed to have emerged as a name during the ancient and medieval periods, spanning approximately from the 3rd century BCE to the 16th century CE.
In Chinese, the character '去' is pronounced as 'qu' and carries meanings such as 'to go' or 'to leave'. This character has been used as a personal name, especially in combination with other characters. Similarly, in Japanese, the character '呉' is pronounced as 'go' and has been employed as a given name or as part of a name.
While the name Go does not have direct references in major religious scriptures or ancient texts, it has been found in historical records and genealogies from various regions of East Asia. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Go can be traced back to the 6th century CE in Japan and the 8th century CE in China.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the given name Go. One of the earliest examples is Go Daigo, a Japanese emperor who reigned from 1318 to 1339 CE. Another prominent figure is Go Kashiwabara, a Japanese poet and courtier who lived during the late 15th century.
In China, one notable individual was Go Xi, a renowned painter and calligrapher who lived during the 12th century CE, renowned for his exceptional skills in landscape painting. Additionally, Go Seigen, a Japanese professional Go player and one of the greatest masters of the game, lived from 1914 to 2014 and left a lasting legacy in the world of Go.
Another individual worth mentioning is Go Nagai, a Japanese manga artist and writer born in 1945, known for creating iconic works such as "Devilman" and "Mazinger Z". His contributions have significantly influenced the Japanese manga and anime industry.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the given name Go throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods. The name has endured and maintained its presence across different cultures, particularly in East Asia, where it has deep roots and historical significance.
People
Go + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Go as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Go: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Go?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Go going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Go a common name?
We classify Go as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Go most popular?
The single biggest year for Go was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Go is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Go in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 576 people with the name Go, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,647 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Go in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Go?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Go on both sides of the split. Of the 567 people counted with this name, 399 were male (70.4%) and 168 were female (29.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Go?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Go is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Hispanic (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Go most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Go in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.5% (354 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Go in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Go a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Go in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Go still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Go in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Go can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Go?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.