Yoko
A Japanese feminine name meaning "affable" or "gentle child".
Name Census estimates that about 401 living Americans carry the first name Yoko. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yoko today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yoko births was 1981 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yoko. 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.
People living today
401
~ 1 in 854,749 Americans
Peak year
1981
24 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2021 SSA rank
#17,567
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Yoko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yoko from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 128 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yoko 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 Yoko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yokos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Hawaii, New York recorded the most babies named Yoko, while New York, Hawaii, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yoko
The name Yoko has its origins in the Japanese language. It is a feminine name that can be written using different kanji characters, but the most common writing is 陽子, which means "sunshine child" or "child of the sun."
The name Yoko dates back to ancient Japan and has been in use for centuries. It was a popular name among the samurai class and the nobility during the feudal era. The kanji characters that make up the name have a deep symbolic meaning in Japanese culture, representing the sun and its life-giving warmth.
While the name Yoko itself does not appear in any ancient texts or religious scriptures, the concept of the sun and its importance in Japanese mythology is deeply rooted. The sun goddess Amaterasu, for example, plays a central role in the Shinto religion and is revered as the ancestor of the imperial family.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Yoko can be found in the Heian period (794-1185 CE). Yoko no Tsubone was a famous lady-in-waiting at the imperial court during the 11th century. She was known for her beauty and intelligence, and her name has been immortalized in Japanese literature.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Yoko. Yoko Ono (born 1933), the renowned artist and peace activist, is perhaps the most famous. She is best known for her influential work in the Fluxus movement and her marriage to John Lennon of the Beatles.
Another notable Yoko was Yoko Mizuki (1888-1965), a Japanese novelist and playwright who was a pioneer in the Japanese feminist movement. Her works explored themes of gender inequality and the struggle for women's rights in early 20th century Japan.
In the world of sports, Yoko Gushiken (born 1948) was a trailblazer in women's golf. She was the first Japanese golfer to join the LPGA Tour and won numerous tournaments throughout her career, paving the way for future generations of Japanese golfers.
Yoko Shida (1900-1994) was a renowned Japanese actress and dancer who was active in the early days of Japanese cinema. She is considered a pioneer of modern Japanese dance and was instrumental in introducing Western dance styles to Japan.
Lastly, Yoko Tsuno (born 1947) is a Japanese manga artist and writer best known for her science fiction comic series "The Adventures of Yoko Tsuno." Her work has been widely acclaimed for its strong female protagonists and its exploration of scientific and technological themes.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Yoko
People
Yoko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yoko as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yoko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yoko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 401 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yoko 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 854,749 US residents.
Is Yoko a common name?
We classify Yoko as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 476 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yoko most popular?
The single biggest year for Yoko was 1981, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yoko is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yoko a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yoko 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.
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.