Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Kao 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 1980. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kao through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 719
- 475 boys · 244 girls
- Most popular year
- 1981
- 54 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,304 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −65%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,304 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 40 in 1981. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,060 as a first name in 2020; 6,261 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.
Kao’s family of names
In English usage, Kao as a surname has a related form in GAO. In Greek usage, Kao as a surname is a transliteration of Καό.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
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 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kao
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kao, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kam
“having a crooked nose”
>99% boys
Anand
“joy, delight, pleasure”
90% boys · 10% girls
Adams
“man” · “of the earth”
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Ky
Ky is a feminine given name.
89% boys · 11% girls
Konstantinos
“one who is steadfast; firm”
>99% boys
Antwan
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys
Tai
“a very big woman” · “one who is talented and prosperous”
80% boys · 20% girls
Kareem
“a generous man”
>99% boys