Tao

Did you know?

A few things about Tao you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Tao

Tao Tsuchiya

Japanese actress and model

Choose Tao and your child shares a first name with Tao Tsuchiya, a Japanese actress and model. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Tao, like who?” Tao Tsuchiya's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Tao Tsuchiya on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Ogiyoshisan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 106,383 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Tao, 16 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Tao would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryTao first shows up in US birth records in 1970, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 55 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1973, when it reached #3,445.
• 🚀TrendTao has climbed 2,459 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #5,608. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningIn Chinese, Tao means “the way”.

About the name Tao

Tao is a boy name of Chinese origin meaning “the way”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with T and ending in “-tao”. US birth records list Tao for boys from 1970 to 2025, in 42 of those 56 years. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked #3,445 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #5,608, with 16 babies.

Origin:Chinese names