Ipo as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ipo

What is the meaning of the name Ipo ?

The baby name Ipo is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈi.po/ (ee-POH).

Ipo is Hawaiian in Origin.

Ipo is a Polynesian given name from the Hawaiian and Māori word ipo, meaning “sweetheart,” “beloved,” or “lover.” Used first as a term of endearment, it became a unisex personal name. Pronounced EE-poh in English, it carries a gentle, affectionate tone and reflects the close-knit, relational emphasis of Pacific cultures. Cognates appear across Eastern Polynesian languages, reinforcing its pan‑Polynesian resonance. As a given name, it is straightforward to spell and pronounce internationally.

The word features prominently in love songs and poetry - Hawaiian mele and Māori waiata - and in phrases like ku‘u ipo (“my sweetheart”). As a given name, Ipo saw wider adoption in 20th‑century Hawai‘i and remains familiar in island communities and the Pacific diaspora. Variants and related forms include Ku‘uipo (a compound meaning “my sweetheart”) and the lexical hi‘ipō, built on hi‘i “to cherish.” Spelling typically lacks diacritics.

⚙ Ipo is seldom given. We count 108 recorded uses of it across 36 countries.