Given name & surname · also Vietnamese
Bao
“to order”·“one who is prized”
Bao is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “to order” and “one who is prized”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “to order” and “one who is prized”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Vietnamese and Chinese naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1976. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bao through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,430
- 850 boys · 580 girls
- Most popular year
- 1990
- 72 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #7,740 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,740 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 31 in 1986. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,814 as a first name in 2020; 4,053 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.
Bao’s family of names
In English usage, Bao as a surname has a related form in BAU.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bao
- Vang PaoLaotian-American soldier and former drug smuggler1929–2011
- Pauline Chan Bo-LinHong Kong actress (1973-2002)
- Cheung Po Tsai18th- and 19th-century Chinese naval officer and former pirate1783–1822
- Zhang BaoYellow Turban leader200–184
- Li BaolianChinese javelin throwerborn 1963
Characters named Bao: Jia Baoyu (principal character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Bao, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hao
“one who is perfectly behaved” · “a good man”
>99% boys
Shao
Shao is a surname from Wade–Giles, ultimately from Chinese. It is used in English and Tagalog.
>99% boys
Danh
Danh is a surname.
>99% boys
Cheng
Cheng is a surname from Cantonese, ultimately from Mandarin. It is used in English, French, and Tagalog.
>99% boys
Shu
Shu is a surname from Mandarin, ultimately from Chinese.
>99% boys
Trong
“one who is respected”
>99% boys
Chu
Chu is a surname from Wade–Giles, ultimately from Mandarin. It is used in English, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Indonesian.
>99% boys
Xiong
Xiong is a surname from Mandarin, ultimately from Chinese.
>99% boys