Joao
Boy name · #1473 in 2025 · Rare
Joao ranks #1473 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 121 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2864, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 14,876 boys born in 2025 was named Joao.
The 107-year story
Joao first appears in the Social Security records in 1918, when 11 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 135 babies and a rank of #1387. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Joao per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Joao against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Joao in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Joao is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Joao will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Joao is most common
Geography matters for names, and Joao is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Joao is most common in MA (0.4 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Joao is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Joao
Statistically, parents drawn to Joao tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Jacobo, Renzo, Joab, Amado, and Juno.
JacoboRenzoJoabAmadoJunoLucioCosmoJoan
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Joao | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 121 | #1466 |
| 2024 | 135 | #1387 |
| 2023 | 107 | #1623 |
| 2022 | 96 | #1737 |
| 2021 | 79 | #1915 |
| 2020 | 76 | #1922 |
| 2019 | 55 | #2421 |
| 2018 | 57 | #2325 |
| 2017 | 60 | #2217 |
| 2016 | 51 | #2477 |
| 2015 | 41 | #2864 |
| 2014 | 48 | #2542 |
| 2013 | 38 | #2955 |
| 2012 | 38 | #3002 |
| 2011 | 41 | #2852 |
| 2010 | 36 | #3128 |
| 2009 | 57 | #2287 |
| 2008 | 61 | #2186 |
| 2007 | 43 | #2765 |
| 2006 | 63 | #2082 |
| 2005 | 63 | #1983 |
| 2004 | 47 | #2376 |
| 2003 | 38 | #2620 |
| 2002 | 52 | #2068 |
| 2001 | 65 | #1743 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Joao a popular boy name?
Joao ranked #1473 among boys in 2025 with 121 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2864.
When was the name Joao most popular?
Joao peaked in 2024, when 135 American boys received the name (ranked #1387 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Joao?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 14,876 newborn American boys was named Joao. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.