Xylo
Short and melodic name possibly relating to xylophones or woodwind instruments.
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the first name Xylo. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Xylo today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xylo births was 2024 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xylo. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Xylo with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
216
~ 1 in 1,586,826 Americans
Peak year
2024
65 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,543
Tracked since 2018
Gender
Gender distribution for Xylo
Xylo is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 217 total registrations, 169 (77.9%) were male and 48 (22.1%) were female.
Xylo as a male name
- Ranked #2,543 in 2024
- 53 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (53 births)
Xylo as a female name
- Ranked #8,901 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (15 births)
Popularity
Xylo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xylo from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 206 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xylo 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 Xylo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Xylos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Xylo, while Georgia, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Xylo
The name Xylo is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 19th or early 20th century. It does not have any known linguistic roots or cultural origins from ancient civilizations. The name appears to be a creative construction, possibly inspired by the word "xylophone," which derives from the Greek words "xylon" meaning wood and "phonē" meaning sound or voice.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Xylo can be found in the 1895 book "The Xylo-Zouave" by Albert de Rochas. In this work, Xylo is the name given to a character who is a member of a Zouave military regiment. While this may not represent the true origin of the name, it is one of the earliest documented instances of its use.
Xylo does not seem to have any direct historical references or appearances in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the late 19th century. Its modern usage as a given name appears to be a recent development, likely emerging as a unique and inventive choice for parents seeking a distinctive name for their child.
One of the earliest known individuals named Xylo was Xylo Smith, an American artist and illustrator born in 1912. Smith was known for his whimsical and imaginative illustrations, particularly for children's books. Another notable figure named Xylo was Xylo Vena, a Dutch painter and sculptor born in 1924, who gained recognition for his abstract and expressionist works.
In the realm of literature, Xylo Richleau was the protagonist in a series of occult detective novels written by British author Dennis Wheatley, with the first book "The Devil Rides Out" published in 1934. Although a fictional character, Richleau's name helped to introduce and popularize the unique moniker Xylo.
More recently, Xylo Aristedu was a Greek professional basketball player born in 1980, who had a successful career playing in various European leagues. Xylo Kamara is a contemporary American fashion designer and entrepreneur, known for her sustainable and ethical clothing line.
While not a widespread name, Xylo has gained a niche following in recent decades, likely appealing to parents seeking a distinctive and unconventional name for their child. Its origins may be relatively modern, but its unique sound and spelling have allowed it to carve out a place in the world of given names.
People
Xylo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xylo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xylo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xylo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 216 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xylo 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 1,586,826 US residents.
Is Xylo a common name?
We classify Xylo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xylo most popular?
The single biggest year for Xylo was 2024, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xylo is about 4 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 Xylo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xylo a male name?
Yes, 77.9% of people registered as Xylo 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 Xylo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xylo 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 Xylo 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 are called Xylo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.