Girl · #16,210 in 2026

Mao

Mao is a unisex Japanese given name. People with the name include:Mao Abe , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Arai , Japanese judoka Mao Asada , Japanese figure skater Mao Daichi , Japanese actress Mao Denda , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Fujita , Japanese male pianist Mao Hamasaki , former Japanese adult actress and discjockey Mao Hosoya , Japanese male footballer Mao Ichimichi , Japanese actress…

Current Rank
#16,210
Peak Rank
#4,286 (1983)
Total Babies
285
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1980
First Year
2016
Last Year
1983
Peak Year
#4286
Peak Rank
285
Total Count
28
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mao

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Mao is a unisex Japanese given name. People with the name include:Mao Abe , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Arai , Japanese judoka Mao Asada , Japanese figure skater Mao Daichi , Japanese actress Mao Denda , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Fujita , Japanese male pianist Mao Hamasaki , former Japanese adult actress and discjockey Mao Hosoya , Japanese male footballer Mao Ichimichi , Japanese actress…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Mao

Mao first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1980, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1983, when 17 Maos were born — ranking #4,286 that year. As of 2026, Mao ranks #16,210 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 285 Maos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Mao

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mao is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mao

What does the name Mao mean?
Mao is a unisex Japanese given name. People with the name include:Mao Abe , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Arai , Japanese judoka Mao Asada , Japanese figure skater Mao Daichi , Japanese actress Mao Denda , Japanese singer-songwriter Mao Fujita , Japanese male pianist Mao Hamasaki , former Japanese adult actress and discjockey Mao Hosoya , Japanese male footballer Mao Ichimichi , Japanese actress…
How popular is Mao in 2026?
In 2026, Mao ranks #16,210 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Mao most popular?
Mao reached its peak popularity in 1983, ranking #4,286 that year with 17 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Mao most popular?
Mao has historically been most popular in Minnesota, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mao.
Is Mao a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Mao is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Mao?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mao include Elezabeth, Louiese, Mercer. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Elezabeth
Peak #4286
👧
Louiese
Peak #4286
👧
Mercer
Peak #4286
👧
Boyce
Peak #4286
👧
Evangelyn
Peak #4286
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Doreathea
Peak #4286
👧
Emelene
Peak #4286
👧
Jettye
Peak #4286

About the name Mao

Mao is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1980 and has accumulated 285 births in the dataset. Mao's peak popularity came in 1983 when it ranked #4,286. Use the chart and map above to compare Mao's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.