Total births
95
Unisex name · since 1980
Nao
95 babies named Nao in U.S. Social Security records since 1980, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 95
- total births
- 1980–2021
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
Nao is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 95 have been recorded since 1980.
Nao has 95 recorded births among girls since 1980, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1980 to 2021.
- 95 total births
- 1980–2021 years on record
- 2000s peak decade
- 32% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
95 girls have been named Nao since 1980, peaking in the 2000s, last recorded in 2021.
- 95
- total births
- 1980–2021
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
2000s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Nao was born in this single decade.
1998
Single peak year
11 babies were named Nao in 1998 - its busiest year on record.
Nao's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Nao's SSA record in two at 1998 and the more recent half accounts for 59% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 41%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1980, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 11, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Nao at a glance
Last recorded 2021Peak year
1998
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1980
Nao popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1980–2021
- Peak year (1998)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 42 years of records
Nao popularity over time - boys
23 total births recorded since 2001 (Nao as boys' name)
Nao by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Nao's strongest decade.
30 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Nao births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
21 births
- 1990s
1990s
29 births
- 2000s
2000s
30 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 30 births (32% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nao? ▼
Nao has been given to 95 babies in the U.S. since 1980, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2021. 11 babies were born in 1998, its single highest year.
When was Nao most popular? ▼
Nao was most popular in the 2000s decade with 30 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Is Nao a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Nao is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 95 births, and as a boy's name it has 23 births.
How long has the name Nao been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nao since 1980 -- 42 years through the most recent 2021 data.
What names are similar to Nao? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Naomi, Naoma, Naomie, Naomy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nao's data
- Nao's decade-level peak was the 2000s (30 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nao
Nearby Names Like Nao
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nao
Naomi Girl
#44 191,547 births
Naoma Girl
2,534 births
Naomie Girl
#3085 2,099 births
Naomy Girl
#4152 1,850 births
Naomia Girl
876 births
Compare Nao side by side: Nao vs Naomi Nao vs Naoma Nao vs Naomie
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1980–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nao: Baby Name Since 1980 - 95 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nao. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Nao 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 June 2026.