Chao has been given to about 320 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1985, which makes it a Gen X and millennial name.
Its best year was 1985, when 26 babies were given the name, ranking 2729th. The typical living American called Chao is about 41 years old today.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.