Home › Baby Names Directory › Yoko
Yoko
How to Pronounce Yoko
Pronounced YOH-koh /ˈjoʊ.koʊ/Medium
Meaning: Yoko is a Japanese given name for girls in which -ko means 'child.' The yo- element depends on the kanji a family chose - common ones mean 'ocean,' 'sun/light' or 'positive' - so the full sense might be 'child of the ocean' or 'sunny child.' The exact meaning cannot be read from the romanization alone.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Yoko is a Japanese girls' name, given here in romaji, where -ko means 'child' and yo- varies by kanji. It appears in United States records from around 1923, carried by Japanese American families across the World War II years, with later small highs as the name gained global recognition through Yoko Ono.
It was always rare in the national data, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak. It remains a recognizable Japanese name in the U.S., read as heritage; its precise meaning depends on the family's chosen characters, and short forms like Yo are natural.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Yoko Ono (b. 1933)Japanese-born artist, musician and peace activist, widow of John Lennon
If you like Yoko…
Explore names like Yoko
Frequently Asked
What does the name Yoko mean?
It is a Japanese name in which -ko means 'child'; the yo- element varies by kanji ('ocean,' 'sun' or 'positive'). The exact meaning depends on the characters.
How do you pronounce Yoko?
It's said YOH-koh /ˈjoʊ.koʊ/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Yoko a boy or girl name?
Yoko is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Yoko?
It has always been rare in the U.S., a Japanese heritage name given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak.