Picabo
A rare feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Picabo. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Picabo today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Picabo births was 1998 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Picabo. 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 Picabo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1998
5 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1998 SSA rank
#15,940
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Picabo: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Picabo 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 Picabo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Picabo
The given name Picabo has its origins in the Native American Shoshone language, spoken by the Shoshone people who inhabited parts of the western United States. The name is believed to have emerged around the 18th or 19th century, although its exact roots are unclear. It is thought to be derived from the Shoshone word "pika," meaning "shining" or "bright," and "po," a suffix denoting a place or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Picabo comes from the town of Picabo, Idaho, which was named after a Shoshone chief who lived in the area in the early 19th century. The town's name is a direct adaptation of the chief's name, suggesting that the name Picabo was in use among the Shoshone people during that time.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who have borne the name Picabo. Picabo Street (born 1971) is perhaps the most famous, an American former alpine ski racer who won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She was a prominent figure in the world of alpine skiing during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Another individual with the name Picabo was Picabo Coolidge (1837-1923), a leader of the Shoshone people in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in negotiating treaties between the Shoshone and the United States government, helping to secure land rights for his people.
In the world of literature, Picabo Angevine is a character in the novel "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey, published in 1975. The character's name is likely a reference to the town of Picabo, Idaho, and its Shoshone origins.
While not as well-known, there have been a few other individuals throughout history who have carried the name Picabo. Picabo Lester (1837-1909) was a Shoshone woman known for her skills in traditional basket weaving, while Picabo Trahant (1912-1998) was a Shoshone activist who worked to preserve the language and culture of her people.
The name Picabo, with its roots in the Shoshone language and culture, has a rich history that spans several centuries. While not a widely popular name, it has been borne by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from sports and literature to activism and preservation of indigenous traditions.
People
Picabo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Picabo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Picabo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Picabo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Picabo 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 Picabo a common name?
We classify Picabo 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 Picabo most popular?
The single biggest year for Picabo was 1998, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Picabo is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Picabo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Picabo a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Picabo in the SSA data are female. 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 Picabo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Picabo 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 Picabo 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Picabo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.