Thao
Thao is a name with a single cultural origin: Vietnamese.
- Vietnamese
Meaning & Origin of Thao
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Thao is a name with a single cultural origin: Vietnamese.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Vietnamese
The Story of Thao
As a girl name
American parents first put Thao on the record books as a girl name in 1975, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1984, when 58 Thaos were born — ranking #1,838 that year. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 41% of all recorded Thaos. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2017 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 1K Thaos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Thao on the record books as a boy name in 1979, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1989, when 16 Thaos were born — ranking #3,447 that year. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 56% of all recorded Thaos. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1999 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 192 Thaos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Thao
Phonetically similar names — useful when Thao 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 Thao
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How popular is Thao in 2026?
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Is Thao a unisex name?
What names go well with Thao?
About the name Thao
Thao is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1975 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Thao's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #1,838. Use the chart and map above to compare Thao's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1984 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.