Yoyo
A diminutive of the Chinese name Youyuan, meaning "excellent source/origin".
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Yoyo. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yoyo today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yoyo births was 2014 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yoyo. 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 Yoyo with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yoyo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2014
12 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,169
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Yoyo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yoyo from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 49 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yoyo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yoyo 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 Yoyo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yoyos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yoyo
The given name Yoyo is believed to have originated from the Spanish language, derived from the phrase "yo yo" which translates to "I myself" or "me me." This playful repetition is thought to have inspired the naming of the popular toy, the yo-yo, which then became a given name in its own right.
While the exact origins of the name Yoyo are unclear, some historical records suggest it may have been used as a nickname or diminutive form of other Spanish names like Yolanda or Yolanda. However, its widespread use as a standalone given name is a relatively modern phenomenon.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Yoyo was a Spanish artist named Yoyo Rodríguez, born in 1933. She was known for her vibrant and colorful paintings that celebrated traditional Spanish culture and folklore.
Another notable figure was Yoyo Toshi, a Japanese-American actor born in 1920. He appeared in several Hollywood films during the 1940s and 1950s, often portraying Asian characters in a time when such representation was limited.
In the world of music, Yoyo Mono was a Japanese singer and songwriter active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known for his unique blend of traditional Japanese music with Western rock and pop influences.
The name Yoyo also gained some prominence in the world of sports. Yoyo Vázquez was a Mexican baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1974 to 1985, primarily for the Houston Astros.
Lastly, one cannot discuss the name Yoyo without mentioning Yoyo Ma, the world-renowned cellist. Born in 1955, he has won numerous awards and accolades for his virtuosic performances and has been a leading figure in the classical music world for decades.
While these are just a few examples, the name Yoyo has been borne by individuals from various cultures and backgrounds throughout history, each adding their unique contribution to the legacy of this playful and distinctive name.
People
Yoyo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yoyo 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
Yoyo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yoyo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yoyo 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Yoyo a common name?
We classify Yoyo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yoyo most popular?
The single biggest year for Yoyo was 2014, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yoyo is about 10 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 Yoyo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yoyo a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yoyo 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 Yoyo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yoyo 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 Yoyo 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 Americans are named Yoyo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.