Bao
Feminine · “treasure”
Bao is given to both — 580 girls and 850 boys since 1880. See Bao as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Bao is a Vietnamese name of a single syllable, and in Vietnamese it carries a tone that American records cannot write. It is a Chinese word too, and it can mean treasure or to protect, depending on which character stands behind it.
How old is the name Bao?
Bao first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Bao alive today was born around 1989, making them about 36 years old. About 600 people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Bao most popular?
Bao peaked in 1990, reaching #2571 nationally. See the whole 1990 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Chinese bǎo to Bao
The story of Bao
Bảo is one of the most loved elements in Vietnamese naming, and it was chosen for the reign name of the last emperor of Vietnam, Bảo Đại, whose title meant keeper of greatness. He gave up the throne in the revolution at the end of the Second World War and died in exile in France. Vietnamese families brought the name to America, where, as at home, it is given to sons and daughters alike, often as part of a longer given name.
Meaningscholars disagree
treasure, or to protect and keep
Vietnamese Bảo is a Sino-Vietnamese word, and two different Chinese characters are read that way: one meaning treasure or precious, the other meaning to protect or keep. A family writing the name in Vietnamese or Chinese knows which it chose; the Latin letters on an American record do not show it.
How the name formed
- Chinese bǎo
- Vietnamese Bảo
- Bao
Related forms: Bảo · Bao
Pronouncing Bao
BOW (rhymes with cow)
In Vietnamese it has a dipping, rising tone that English does not use; American speakers say it like the bow of a ship.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1977
- Most girls named
- 199046 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2571reached in 1990
- Change vs 2001
- +14.3%8 in 2002, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Bao in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Bảo in Vietnamese — same name
- Bao in Mandarin Chinese — transliteration
Baos among us
people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Bao sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, easy to say and has a real meaning in two languages.
- An emperor's reign name gives it a documented history.
- It works for a boy or a girl, as it does in Vietnamese families.
- Many Americans know bao first as a steamed bun on restaurant menus, and some teasing is likely.
- Without its tone mark the name loses part of its spelling, and Vietnamese speakers may ask which Bảo it is.
- It leans to boys in the American record, so a girl named Bao may be taken for a boy on paper.
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What they receive
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Bao
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Baos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Bao in 2025?
- Bao is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Bao with classmates?
- Bao will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More B names
The most-given names starting with B, all years combined.
Barbara#968 · Betty#1113 · Brenda#1525 · Beverly#1016 · Brittany#928 · Bonnie#396 · Brianna#222 · Bertha#4546
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Bao? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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