Unisex name · since 1981
Dao
194 babies named Dao in U.S. Social Security records since 1981, with the highest year being 1983. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #13,146 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 194
- born since 1981
- 1980s
- peak decade
Dao sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 194 recorded since 1981.
Dao has 194 recorded births among boys since 1981, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1981 to 2018.
- #13,146 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 194 born since 1981
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dao ranks #13,146 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 194 born since 1981, peaking in the 1980s.
- #13,146 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 194
- born since 1981
- 1980s
- peak decade
Dao's 194 recorded births place it above 71.03% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by California.
Dao's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dao's full recorded timeline at 1992, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1995, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1983 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dao popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2018
- Peak year (1983)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 38 years of records
Dao popularity over time - girls
88 total births recorded since 1980 (Dao as girls' name)
Dao by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (96 births, 49% of the file).
1980s was Dao's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 49% of all-time use.
Dao births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
96 births
- 1990s
1990s
69 births
- 2000s 24
2000s
24 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 96 births (49% of all-time use).
Dao by state
Where Dao concentrates geographically, total births since 1981
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 34 | 17.5% |
34 of 194 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Dao's data
- Dao's decade-level peak was the 1980s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Daos (34 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 Dao
Nearby Names Like Dao
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dao
Compare Dao side by side: Dao vs Daoud Dao vs Daouda Dao vs Daonte
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dao: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1983)
Similar record span (~37 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, 1981–2018 (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 Dao 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.