Fun Facts About the Name Bao
- More than 1 thousand babies named Bao: U.S. records list 1,430 babies given the name Bao from 1880 through 2025. Even 580 girls received the name Bao.
What Does the Name Bao Mean?
Bao is a given name used in Chinese and in Vietnamese. In Chinese it stands for a spoken syllable rather than a single fixed word: bǎo is written with different characters, and the meaning depends on which character was chosen. The most common name character is 寶 (simplified 宝), bǎo, "treasure" or "precious object." Another common choice is 保, also bǎo, "to protect, to keep." Because the English spelling Bao shows only the sound, it cannot indicate which character is meant.
Vietnamese took the same element from Chinese as Bảo. In the older Chinese-based script it was written with those same characters; in the modern Latin alphabet it carries a tone mark that English spellings usually drop. 寶 gives the sense "treasure," 保 the sense "protection." These are distinct names even though both appear as "Bao" in English.
Bao Name History & Origins
The Chinese habit of building given names from meaningful characters is ancient, and the standard pattern places the family name first, followed by one or two chosen given characters. A syllable such as bǎo therefore enters a name through a character the family selects; 寶 "treasure" and 保 "protect" are the ones most often used in personal names.
Vietnamese naming follows a related pattern, a result of centuries of Chinese administration and of the use of Chinese characters to write Vietnamese. Names drawn from Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary, Bảo among them, stand after the family name. A documented bearer of the element is the last Vietnamese emperor, who took the regnal name Bảo Đại (1913 - 1997) when he came to the throne in 1926; it joins Bảo with đại "great."
Spelled "Bao," the given name overlaps in English with a Chinese surname written the same way: 包 (bāo), "to wrap" or "bundle," the surname of the Song dynasty official Bao Zheng (包拯, 999 - 1062). That character has a different origin from 寶 and is not the same name, even though both are romanized "Bao." The same spelling also matches ordinary Chinese words, such as 包子 (bāozi), a steamed bun.
How Popular is the Name Bao?
Bao has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1990. Its best rank was #1,926 in 1986.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | #11,281 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #12,250 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,955 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #12,894 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #6,105 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #9,918 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #5,801 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #4,111 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #3,376 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #3,688 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1992 | #2,926 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1991 | #2,943 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #2,575 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1989 | #3,175 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1988 | #2,746 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1987 | #3,261 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #4,203 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1985 | #2,945 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1984 | #2,577 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1983 | #2,665 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 1982 | #3,266 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1981 | #2,785 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1980 | #4,161 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1977 | #8,537 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,740 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #6,487 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #7,799 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #12,575 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #7,143 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #10,752 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #6,821 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #7,681 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #7,152 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #5,152 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #4,417 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #5,765 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #4,997 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #5,505 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #4,520 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2010 | #5,764 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #4,766 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #6,800 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #5,939 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #8,811 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #6,691 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #5,271 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #4,630 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #6,130 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #4,914 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #4,410 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #4,361 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #4,897 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #3,460 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #4,029 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #2,690 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #2,513 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1993 | #2,518 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1992 | #3,620 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #2,348 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1990 | #2,557 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1989 | #2,795 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #2,520 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1987 | #2,277 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1986 | #1,926 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1985 | #2,119 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1984 | #2,538 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #1,960 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1982 | #2,211 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1981 | #2,209 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #2,736 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #3,832 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #3,414 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #4,208 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #4,039 | 8 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bao Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Bao's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bao's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.