Tao
How to say it: TOW · /ˈtao/
Chinese 'dao/tao' meaning 'the Way, path' - philosophical name from Taoism, used across Asia.
Tao was the 4,891st most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 16 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up about 5% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #4,493 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #4,891 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 16 |
| Share of births | 1 in 207,208 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | +5% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #4,493 |
| In France, 2025 | #255 among boys’ names, 215 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Tao is climbing: the 2020s are already its best decade.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Tao is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese.
In France: #255 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Tao
- Tao Geoghegan Hart (born 1995)British road cyclist
- Tao Ho (1936–2019)Hong Kong architect
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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