Unisex name · since 1976
Bao
850 babies named Bao in U.S. Social Security records since 1976, with the highest year being 1986. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5,695 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,835 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 850
- born since 1976
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Bao is the #7835 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 850 recorded since 1976.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bao has been recorded 850 times among boys since 1976, currently ranked #7835 nationally and more common than 44% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1976 to 2025.
- #5,695 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,835 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 850 born since 1976
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bao ranks #5,695 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,835 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 850 born since 1976, peaking in the 1980s.
- #5,695 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,835 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 850
- born since 1976
- 1980s
- peak decade
Bao's 850 recorded births place it above 87.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Bao compares
850 Top 34% higher than 66% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bao's all-time total is 130% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bao | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 850 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 31 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bao's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bao's SSA record in two at 2001 and the more recent half accounts for 40% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 60%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2022, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1986 peak of 31, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bao popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1976–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 31
- Annual births at peak, across 50 years of records
Bao popularity over time - girls
580 total births recorded since 1977 (Bao as girls' name)
Bao by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (236 births, 28% of the file).
1980s was Bao's strongest decade.
236 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Bao births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 37
1970s
37 births
- 1980s
1980s
236 births
- 1990s
1990s
224 births
- 2000s
2000s
140 births
- 2010s
2010s
158 births
- 2020s 55
2020s
55 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 236 births (28% of all-time use).
How Bao compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bao's total volume
Bao by state
Where Bao concentrates geographically, total births since 1976
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 159 | 18.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 21 | 2.5% |
159 of 850 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bao? ▼
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When was Bao most popular? ▼
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What to do with Bao's data
- Bao's decade-level peak was the 1980s (236 total births); usage has since declined to 55 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Baos (159 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bao
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bao
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bao: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1986)
Similar record span (~49 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1976–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bao draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.