Shilo has 1,822 total recorded uses in the SSA data at rank 1,669 — a spelling variant of a name that carries one of the most layered backstories in the Hebrew biblical tradition, and one that crossed into pop culture through a single Neil Diamond song that most parents today have only a vague memory of.
The Hebrew place-name and its meanings
Shiloh — and its variant Shilo — comes from a Hebrew root that scholars have debated for centuries. The most commonly cited readings are "tranquil," "peaceful," or "the one to whom it belongs." Shiloh appears in the Book of Genesis as a Messianic reference and in the Book of Joshua as the location of the Tabernacle, making it one of the most spiritually charged place names in the Hebrew Bible. Parents exploring Hebrew-origin names will find Shilo has genuine depth — it's not a surface-level biblical pick. The simplified spelling Shilo (without the final h) sheds some of the scriptural weight and reads more as a contemporary given name.
Neil Diamond, Angelina Jolie, and a name's public life
Neil Diamond's 1967 hit "Shilo" introduced the name to American popular consciousness as a kind of lonely, longed-for companion — "Shilo, when I was young, I used to call your name." The song gave the name a wistful, tender quality. Decades later, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their daughter Shiloh in 2006, and the celebrity effect was immediate — Shiloh climbed sharply in the rankings through the late 2000s. The variant Shilo draws on that same cultural cache at a slightly lower register, preferred by parents who want the name's feel without the celebrity-direct association.
A name for both sides of the aisle
Shilo appears in the SSA data for both male and female babies, which makes it one of the more comfortable gender-neutral options in the Hebrew name space. It pairs naturally with grounded, earthy siblings: Cedar, River, Sage. Middle name pairings that work well include Shilo James, Shilo Rose, Shilo Mae — short and classic anchors that let the first name breathe. Parents in religious communities may lean toward the traditional Shiloh spelling; secular parents often prefer the cleaner Shilo.