Fun Facts About the Name Thao
- More than 1 thousand babies named Thao: U.S. records list 1,237 babies given the name Thao from 1880 through 2025. Even 197 boys received the name Thao - about 1 boy for every 5 girls.
What Does the Name Thao Mean?
Thao, usually written Thảo in Vietnamese, is a feminine Vietnamese name meaning "herb" or "grass." It comes from the Sino-Vietnamese word thảo, corresponding to the Chinese character 草, which denotes grass, herbs, and other low plants. In Chinese, the character combines the grass radical 艹 with 早 as a phonetic element. The same word appears in Vietnamese compounds such as thảo mộc ("plants, herbs") and thảo dược ("medicinal herbs"). Its use as a name is botanical; it is not a translation of a personality trait.
In Hmong usage, Thao or Thoj is a clan name, not a variant of the Vietnamese given name. It is not derived from the Vietnamese word for grass and does not carry that meaning.
Thao Name History & Origins
The Vietnamese name Thảo belongs to the Sino-Vietnamese layer of the language. Chinese characters and vocabulary were used in Vietnamese administration and literature for centuries, and Vietnamese speakers read those characters with Vietnamese sounds; 草 was read as thảo and entered personal names as a given-name element. The standard Vietnamese spelling keeps the hook-above tone mark on the a, while English-language use usually drops it and writes Thao. Vietnamese naming order places the given name last, so Thảo often follows a family name and a middle name. It also occurs in compound given names such as Minh Thảo and Thảo Vy, and it is used on its own as well.
The Hmong clan name Thao, written Thoj in the Romanized Popular Alphabet, is one of the clan names used among Hmong communities in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and the diaspora. Hmong clan names are inherited, and clan members are expected to marry outside their own clan; people who share a clan name are treated as relatives. In English the clan name is usually spelled Thao and commonly appears as a surname. This Hmong usage is independent of the Vietnamese given name; the similar spellings reflect separate linguistic histories.
How Popular is the Name Thao?
Thao 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 1984. Its best rank was #1,865 in 1984.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #18,210 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #18,868 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #14,438 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #14,469 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #19,293 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #12,064 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #11,184 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #15,109 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,031 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #9,500 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #13,507 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #10,857 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,841 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #7,181 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #7,020 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #6,301 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #5,687 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #4,079 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1998 | #4,230 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1997 | #4,502 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1996 | #3,228 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1995 | #3,771 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #2,745 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1993 | #2,766 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 1992 | #2,610 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 1991 | #2,882 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1990 | #2,435 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 1989 | #2,924 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1988 | #3,222 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1987 | #2,043 | 55 | 0.0032% |
| 1986 | #2,297 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1985 | #2,134 | 50 | 0.0029% |
| 1984 | #1,865 | 58 | 0.0034% |
| 1983 | #2,131 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 1982 | #2,699 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 1981 | #2,484 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 1980 | #3,313 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1979 | #3,653 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #4,911 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #6,309 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #6,017 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #8,968 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,686 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #11,441 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #11,143 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #10,392 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #10,183 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #6,313 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #6,174 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #4,545 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #3,803 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #4,958 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #3,600 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #5,170 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #5,412 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,812 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,717 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #3,093 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #3,608 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #3,466 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #6,179 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #3,414 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #5,978 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with T
Short Girl Names That Start with T
How the Name Thao Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Thao's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Thao's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.