How common is the surname Tao?

4,286 people in the United States had the surname Tao in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 72,036 Americans. It ranked 7,747th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Tao?

Terence Tao, Australian-American mathematician.

Where is the surname Tao most common?

Wikidata records people named Tao in Australia.

Is the surname Tao getting more or less common?

More common. 2,964 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,286 in 2010, up 45%.

Is Tao also a first name?

Yes. Tao is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Tao

A Chinese surname, carried by 4,286 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex T000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Tao is more common than 95.2% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

Borrowed from Mandarin 陶 (Táo).

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 4,286 people named Tao in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 72,036 Americans. That is up 45% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,964.

#7,747

rank among US surnames

4,286

people in 2010

1.4

per 100,000 Americans

+44.6%

change since 2000 (was #10,031)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#7,739	Atwater	4,289	71,985
#7,743	Bradfield	4,288	72,002
#7,744	Depriest	4,287	72,019
#7,747	Tao	4,286	72,036
#7,748	Dixson	4,285	72,053
#7,750	Laskowski	4,284	72,069
#7,752	Ramer	4,283	72,086

Who is named Tao

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

93% of people named Tao identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 3.1% as white (not Hispanic) and 3.1% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 93%
White (not Hispanic) 3.1%
Two or more races 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.7%

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Black, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Taos

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Terence Tao
Australian-American mathematician, born 1975

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Tao

Tao has the Soundex code T000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T000.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Tao come from?: Borrowed from Mandarin 陶 (Táo).
How common is the surname Tao?: 4,286 people in the United States had the surname Tao in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 72,036 Americans. It ranked 7,747th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Tao?: In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Tao identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 3.1% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Tao?: Terence Tao, Australian-American mathematician.
Where is the surname Tao most common?: Wikidata records people named Tao in Australia.
Is the surname Tao getting more or less common?: More common. 2,964 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,286 in 2010, up 45%.
Is Tao also a first name?: Yes. Tao is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.