Given name & surname
Tao
“resembling a peach; symbol of long life”·“one who will have a long life”
Tao is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling a peach; symbol of long life” (Chinese) and “one who will have a long life” (Chinese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “resembling a peach; symbol of long life” (Chinese) and “one who will have a long life” (Chinese). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Chinese.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tao through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 443
- 433 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #5,824 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,824 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,759 as a first name in 2020; 6,021 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.
Tao’s family of names
In English usage, Tao as a surname has a related form in Tau. In Greek usage, Tao as a surname is a transliteration of Τάο.
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 1
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 Tao
- Tao Geoghegan HartBritish road cyclistborn 1995
- Tao TsuchiyaJapanese actress and modelborn 1995
- Tao OkamotoJapanese actress, model (1985-)
- Tao Porchon-LynchAmerican Yoga Instructor1918–2020
- Wang TaoChinese footballer born 1970 (1970–2022)
- Tao HoHong Kong architect1936–2019
- Yin TaoChinese actressborn 1979
- Jian TaoChinese association football player (born 2001)
- Zhong TaoChinese pole vaulterborn 2002
Characters named Tao: Hu Tao (playable character in Genshin Impact), Mercenary Tao (Dragon Ball franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tao, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“the prized second-born son”
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Yuan is a surname from Mandarin.
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Yam
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Jin
“a superior woman” · “a golden child; one who is elegant”
95% boys · 5% girls