Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Sho isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1923. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sho through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 461
- 461 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,582 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,582 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 20 in 1990. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 667 as a first name in 2020; 194 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sho’s family of names
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Sho, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rashad
“one who has good judgment”
>99% boys
Shaun
“God is gracious”
98% boys · 2% girls
Nestor
“to return safely”
>99% boys
Octavius
“the eighth-born child”
>99% boys
Gino
“a wellborn man”
>99% boys
Deangelo
“a messenger from God”
>99% boys
Johnathon
“God has given” · “a gift of God”
>99% boys
Mykel
“who is like God?”
94% boys · 6% girls