The baby name Nao is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced NAH-oh (Japanese pronunciation: /na.o/).
Nao is Japanese in Origin.
The baby name Nao is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced NAH-oh (Japanese pronunciation: /na.o/).
Nao is Japanese in Origin.
Nao is a multicultural, largely unisex given name. In Japanese it can be written with many kanji, shaping its meaning: 直 ‘honest; straightforward,’ 尚 ‘esteemed,’ 奈緒 ‘grace/奈 + thread/緒,’ 菜央 ‘greens + center,’ 奈桜 ‘grace + cherry blossom,’ among others. The name rose in late-20th‑century popularity and serves both as an independent choice and as a familiar short form for Naoko, Naomi, Naoto, or Naohiro. Common variants include the kana spellings なお (hiragana) and ナオ (katakana).
Within Irish tradition, Nao functions as a modern short form of Naoise (pronounced NEE-sha or NAY-sha), the tragic lover of Deirdre in the Ulster Cycle; the name’s precise meaning is uncertain, though sometimes glossed ‘warrior.’ Anglicized variants center on Naoise. In Chinese naming, Nao (pinyin Nào/Nǎo) appears as a syllable in compound given names with character-dependent senses such as ‘lively/noisy’ or ‘brain,’ but it is seldom used alone.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | 0 | #36 | 43 | 4,057 | |
| HN | Girls | 0 | #38 | 1 | 884 |
| JP | Girls | 0 | #55 | 314 | 6,592 |
| CM | 0 | #56 | 1 | 2,592 | |
| MV | Boys | 0 | #79 | 1 | 3,375 |
| GE | Girls | 0 | #105 | 4 | 1,564 |
| PH | 0 | #110 | 1 | 5,607 | |
| Switzerland | Boys | 2024 | #133 | 5 | 1,769 |
| MT | Girls | 0 | #153 | 1 | 3,773 |
| CR | 0 | #162 | 4 | 5,526 | |
| HU | Boys | 0 | #174 | 1 | 3,954 |
| PR | Boys | 0 | #178 | 1 | 2,508 |
| UY | 0 | #181 | 2 | 2,477 | |
| AE | 0 | #187 | 1 | 10,220 | |
| DK | 0 | #206 | 1 | 5,198 | |
| JP | Boys | 0 | #215 | 83 | 7,909 |
| PS | 0 | #226 | 1 | 5,692 | |
| AL | Girls | 0 | #227 | 1 | 4,141 |
| BG | Girls | 0 | #231 | 1 | 3,559 |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #233 | 2 | 5,842 |
| NA | Girls | 0 | #234 | 4 | 7,146 |
| EC | Boys | 0 | #246 | 1 | 3,322 |
| GH | 0 | #248 | 1 | 5,396 | |
| GR | Girls | 0 | #249 | 1 | 6,293 |
| EC | Girls | 0 | #257 | 2 | 3,650 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #262 | 2 | 7,056 |
| SG | 0 | #281 | 2 | 11,010 | |
| IL | 0 | #282 | 1 | 6,291 | |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #284 | 6 | 8,139 |
| France | Boys | 2021 | #295 | 95 | 2,865 |
| KZ | Boys | 0 | #295 | 2 | 6,578 |
| AL | Boys | 0 | #303 | 1 | 5,122 |
| CZ | Boys | 0 | #305 | 1 | 6,530 |
| Canada | Boys | 2021 | #310 | 6 | 2,600 |
| SA | 0 | #312 | 1 | 10,560 | |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #329 | 1 | 7,429 |
| GH | Girls | 0 | #334 | 4 | 6,973 |
| GT | 0 | #334 | 5 | 5,948 | |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #339 | 5 | 15,378 |
| MY | 0 | #353 | 2 | 12,352 | |
| HK | 0 | #356 | 2 | 8,483 | |
| CN | Girls | 0 | #358 | 2 | 8,829 |
| BR | 0 | #360 | 1 | 5,969 | |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #362 | 1 | 8,539 |
| YE | 0 | #396 | 3 | 8,639 | |
| France | Girls | 2021 | #400 | 6 | 3,185 |
| BO | 0 | #406 | 3 | 6,868 | |
| PH | Boys | 0 | #407 | 2 | 11,440 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #424 | 1 | 15,987 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #427 | 3 | 13,098 |
| CL | 0 | #433 | 2 | 6,867 | |
| MX | 0 | #441 | 5 | 8,339 | |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #470 | 2 | 7,952 |
| ZA | 0 | #474 | 1 | 14,421 | |
| AR | Boys | 0 | #483 | 1 | 7,628 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #491 | 42 | 11,342 |
| UY | Girls | 0 | #492 | 19 | 6,731 |
| PA | Boys | 0 | #503 | 3 | 9,305 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #507 | 4 | 10,188 |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #515 | 4 | 9,861 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #520 | 4 | 11,913 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #525 | 1 | 11,303 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #526 | 1 | 12,621 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #531 | 10 | 11,671 |
| GT | Girls | 0 | #538 | 4 | 7,500 |
| IR | Girls | 0 | #545 | 1 | 8,334 |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #547 | 1 | 10,981 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #552 | 6 | 12,905 |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #561 | 1 | 19,177 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #563 | 3 | 10,162 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #563 | 24 | 18,916 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #568 | 8 | 12,054 |
| AR | Girls | 0 | #579 | 21 | 8,289 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #590 | 8 | 20,968 |
| BO | Girls | 0 | #599 | 13 | 9,488 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #606 | 10 | 16,104 |
| BO | Boys | 0 | #622 | 1 | 9,244 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #642 | 4 | 11,648 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #652 | 3 | 13,121 |
| LB | 0 | #690 | 1 | 13,263 | |
| CL | Boys | 0 | #696 | 5 | 13,390 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #696 | 2 | 13,071 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #733 | 7 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #742 | 2 | 18,093 |
| SY | 0 | #766 | 2 | 11,684 | |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #804 | 3 | 18,755 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #825 | 2 | 15,093 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #833 | 19 | 14,098 |
| TN | 0 | #858 | 8 | 13,765 | |
| United States | Boys | 2023 | #892 | 7 | 7,053 |
| United States | Girls | 2021 | #916 | 5 | 8,741 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #917 | 9 | 15,035 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #917 | 27 | 14,861 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #921 | 6 | 14,506 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #925 | 11 | 25,931 |
| Spain | Girls | 0 | #960 | 24 | 5,561 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #972 | 11 | 16,355 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #974 | 8 | 15,656 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #977 | 18 | 24,821 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #990 | 12 | 16,750 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,003 | 7 | 14,742 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,057 | 22 | 16,140 |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,076 | 108 | 17,781 |
| MA | 0 | #1,086 | 43 | 20,986 | |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,101 | 11 | 25,439 |
| DZ | 0 | #1,153 | 24 | 20,130 | |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,233 | 4 | 25,928 |
| TR | 0 | #1,252 | 3 | 19,440 | |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,269 | 4 | 25,619 |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,393 | 54 | 9,415 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,449 | 23 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,685 | 7 | 28,008 |
Nao is popular in 64 countries — most recent births per country:
Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!