Bao
Masculine · “treasure”
Bao is given to both — 850 boys and 580 girls since 1880. See Bao as a girl 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 1976 — 49 years ago. The typical Bao alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 800 people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Bao most popular?
Bao peaked in 1986, reaching #1917 nationally. Today it ranks #7679, 5,762 places below that high. See the whole 1986 chart.
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
- 1976
- Most boys named
- 198631 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1917reached in 1986
- Change vs 2024
- −23.1%10 in 2025, from 13
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
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Baos among us
people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 170,808 born in 2025 was named Bao
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marvell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Bao's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marvell climbed just as high around 1971, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marvell's path sketches the road Bao is walking now.
Bao sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Bao beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Bao in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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
Masculine · #7679 in the U.S.
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 800 people named Bao are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Bao in 2025?
- Bao ranks #7679 among US boy names in 2025, with 10 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Bao?
- About 1 in every 170,808 US boys born in 2025 was named Bao — 10 in all.
- Will my child share the name Bao with classmates?
- Bao will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Bao
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Early#7679 · Obie#7679 · Huston#7679 · Knute#7679 · Rance#7679 · Blain#7679 · Doyle#7679 · Millard#7679
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Bao? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Bao and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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