Comments (Famous Bearer Only)
Jo March from Little Women! She's supercool, and her name suits her very well. :)
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There is Jo Nesbo, the Norwegian film writer. His name is not short for anything, just Jo on its own.
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Jo was one of Janet Jackson's middle names. Her full name is Janet Damita Jo Jackson.
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Jo Calvino, a weightlifter who took part in the Glasgow 2014: Commonwealth Games.
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Jo Jones (née Grant) was a companion of the Third Doctor in the TV show Doctor Who.
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Jo Weisman- a French Jewish boy at the time of the Holocaust. Taken to the Velodrome d'Hiver and then sent to a concentration camp, which he escaped from. The 2010 French film La Rafle (The Round-Up) was based on his experience.
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a (male) French tennis player. As of 2013, his highest ranking was No. 5.
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Josefina "Jo" Lupo is the deputy sheriff (later head of GD security) in the Syfy series Eureka. She is portrayed by Erica Cerra.
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Jo Polniaczek was the tough but beautiful tomboy on the '80s sitcom The Facts of Life. The show's creators named her after Jo March from the novel Little Women.
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Surprised no one has cited LITTLE WOMEN as a source of this (nick)name's popularity. For show biz examples, there was not only actress Jo Van Fleet, but popular singer Jo Stafford.
It seems much more popular as an element in "combination names" (Mary Jo, Jo Ann, Billie Jo, etc.) than as a stand-alone. When it IS used by itself, it's probably assumed to be a nickname. "Jo Ann," by the way, may be perceived either as a combo name OR an alternative spelling of "Joanne"--which is one of many feminine forms of John and not a combination name (strictly speaking, although even that could be interpreted as such)
The use of the "Jo" spelling for males is--as others have noted--not uncommon in non-English speaking countries. I'm not sure they'd "get" the distinction, especially when you consider that in French, say, the addition of an "e" to a name is nearly ALWAYS a feminine marker (Rene vs. Renee, for example). The English Joe/Jo is the opposite of this pattern, and would likely confuse many. (Check out the French film WAGES OF FEAR, for an example of a masculine "Jo").
But, of course, in English speaking countries, the two letter spelling for a male would be very rare indeed.
This would appear to follow a pattern where a variant spelling is considered the more FEMININE spelling, no matter whether it is actually shorter than the male version. In that it is not totally different from "Leigh," or "Dayle" or "Jaye," (although in terms of the actual spelling, the last example follows the opposite pattern--it is, however, variant, and that seems to make all the difference.)
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It seems much more popular as an element in "combination names" (Mary Jo, Jo Ann, Billie Jo, etc.) than as a stand-alone. When it IS used by itself, it's probably assumed to be a nickname. "Jo Ann," by the way, may be perceived either as a combo name OR an alternative spelling of "Joanne"--which is one of many feminine forms of John and not a combination name (strictly speaking, although even that could be interpreted as such)
The use of the "Jo" spelling for males is--as others have noted--not uncommon in non-English speaking countries. I'm not sure they'd "get" the distinction, especially when you consider that in French, say, the addition of an "e" to a name is nearly ALWAYS a feminine marker (Rene vs. Renee, for example). The English Joe/Jo is the opposite of this pattern, and would likely confuse many. (Check out the French film WAGES OF FEAR, for an example of a masculine "Jo").
But, of course, in English speaking countries, the two letter spelling for a male would be very rare indeed.
This would appear to follow a pattern where a variant spelling is considered the more FEMININE spelling, no matter whether it is actually shorter than the male version. In that it is not totally different from "Leigh," or "Dayle" or "Jaye," (although in terms of the actual spelling, the last example follows the opposite pattern--it is, however, variant, and that seems to make all the difference.)
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Jo Koy is a comedian. I think Jo is short for Joseph.
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Jo O'Meara - an ex-member of popular band S Club 7 (later just S Club). She was involved with the Racism Row on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.
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Hello! Jo Frost is like the most famous bearer of this name! I'm surprised nobody noted Super Nanny on here!
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Singer Janet Jackson's full name is Janet Damita Jo Jackson.
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Jo is sometimes used as a nickname for J.K Rowling. I shouldn't have to tell you what she wrote.
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Jo Van Fleet was an American theater and film actress. Jo has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to motion pictures.
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In Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women, there is a famous Josephine, Jo.
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