The baby name Ilo blends a slim, straightforward sound with a range of appealing meanings.
Thanks to Emma for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ILO MEAN?
Mini names tend to be shape-shifters.
That means there’s no single, definitive meaning of Ilo.
Instead, we have a few possibilities:
First up: the name Ilo belongs to an Estonian goddess. She personified joy, and was known for hosting feasts. Think more Dionysus than Demeter.
Estonian and Finnish are related languages; it’s also used in Finland as a feminine name meaning joy, delight, or happiness. But here’s an interesting twist. Nordic Names connects the Finnish Ilo to the Latin Hilarius, meaning cheerful. The letters and sound are there, but so is the meaning.
One more origin for Ilo, this time unisex, emerges. Old Testament name Elijah became Elias in Greek and Latin. Elia, Ilia, Ilya, and Ilja all emerged as forms of the name in various languages.
If Ilja is a short form in Estonian, is Ilo really that much of a stretch? At least some of the time, Ilo seems to develop as the most reduced version of an Elias name. It means “Yahweh is my God.” In the Old Testament, he’s a prophet and miracle worker.
It’s also occasionally a surname. Spiridon Ilo is one of the Founding Fathers of Albania, a signatory to their Declaration of Independence in 1912. Again, the origins of his last name are unclear.
Lastly, it’s a place name in Peru – but again, the meaning and origin are uncertain.
ILO IN THE UNITED STATES
A handful of uses put the baby name Ilo on parents’ radar
From 1941 through 1945, Ilo Wallace served as Second Lady of the United States. Her husband, Henry Wallace, took the office of 33rd US Vice President under President Franklin Roosevelt, after serving as Agriculture Secretary and Secretary of Commerce.
Born Ilo Browne, the land and small finanical inheritance she brought to their marriage helped the Wallaces launch a seed company still in operation today. A native of Indianola, Iowa, the reason for her unusual given name is unclear. It doesn’t appear to be a family name.
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Sylvia Plath records the name in her personal journals in the year 1950. While working at Lookout Farm in South Natick, Massachussetts, she briefly falls for someone named Ilo. Her diaries, published after her death, describe a stolen kiss. That makes this name masculine and literary, at least the tiniest bit.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ILO?
The baby name Ilo reached the US Top 1000 for girls just twice: in 1888 and 1889. In terms of numbers, Ilo reached peak popularity around the year 1921, when 33 girls received the name
It debuted in the boys’ data way back in 1918, but has never really caught on.
That might be changing now, though.
The baby name Ilo disappeared from US data entirely after the year 1947. Then in 2011, it returned, with 9 boys receiving the name.
As of 2024, the baby name Ilo was given to 12 boys and 7 girls. Combined, that’s the highest number of births since the 1920s.
It’s possible parents are inventing Ilo now, inspired by Milo and Elia and Isla, too.
MODERN MINI
The baby name Ilo shares the characteristics of many trending names now. It’s unisex, nicely international in spirit, hard to pin down to a single origin or meaning. And yet it feels like there’s history behind Ilo – even if we’re not quite sure exactly what that history means.
If you’re after something brief, bright, and with a hint of a happy meaning, the baby name Ilo might be just right for your family.
What do you think of the baby name Ilo?
First published on October 5, 2010, this post was revised on March 28, 2026.
This name just came to me in the shower, for the impending arrival of a baby boy. And then I went to look it up, and what a great meaning!
Amazing, my son is about to be born and this is the name we have chosen for him. Sunshine, Joyous and happiness
Hi. I stumbled upon this name searching for a name for baby boy due in 4 months. It’s my top choice. However, please help me with pronounciation. On Google searches, I’ve found pretty much outside the US it is pronounced “EE-low”. I’ve also seen “Eye-low”. I actually lean towards “EE-low”, like it both ways, but want to make it official the way most will pronounce it I suppose, to prevent constant correction. Thanks for help!
Ilo is also a nickname for the Hungarian name “Ilona” (pronounced “EE-lo-nah”), which I believe is the equivalent of Helen or Helena. I wouldn’t say it’s common but it’s definitely in use!
My son-in-law and grandson are both named Ilo. I will have to see if I can trace their roots a bit and solve the mystery 🙂
I’d love it if you share anything you learn!
we named our daughter Ilo after her great grandma-so there is at least 1 (very young) Ilo in the USA
You mentioned in your blog that there are no people by the name of Ilo that you can find who are named that. You also compared that name to Peak being a rare one as well. Well, here’s something for you–My neighbor’s name was Ilo Agnes Peak and she lived in Grainvalley, Missouri most of her life. She died in 2009 at the age of 89. You can find her on-line.
Ha! That’s fabulous – thanks, D!
There is also a very cute video game out there called ilomilo. You play as Ilo and Milo, two little cushiony critters that are lost trying to find each other for a playdate. It’s a challenging puzzler and is just too precious!
My mother, ILO, was born 1928 in the Appalachians of Scots-Irish descent. There were at least 2 other girls/women in the community with the given name Ilo that were born at least one decade before she was.
The given female name Ilo is often in association with the surname Campbell or other Scots-Irish names. It is probably of Gaelic/Celtic origin.
It’s a personal quirk, but I just don’t like how an upper case I looks next to a lowercase l. I have the same issue with Ilan and Ilse, in many fonts the letters are virtually identical and the names look odd.
As for the sound of Ilo, it’s interesting and definitely seems masculine, but it reminds me of how little kids say Jello.