Tadao
A masculine Japanese name meaning "loyal person" or "faithful man".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Tadao. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tadao today is around 101 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tadao births was 1920 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tadao. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Tadao is about 101 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Tadaos were born before 1935.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tadao. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1920
26 babies that year
Average age
101
years old
1938 SSA rank
#3,977
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Tadao: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tadao from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 167 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tadao by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tadao during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tadaos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tadao
The name Tadao is a Japanese name with roots dating back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Japanese words "ta," meaning "rice field," and "o," meaning "son." The name is believed to have originated among the farming communities of ancient Japan, where rice cultivation was a vital part of the culture.
In the Heian period (794-1185), the name Tadao appeared in several literary works and historical records. One notable individual was Tadao no Nagatada, a court noble and poet who lived during the late 12th century. His poetry was included in various imperial anthologies, reflecting the cultural importance of the name during that era.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the name Tadao gained prominence among the samurai class. Tadao Yoshitsune, a famous military commander and half-brother of the first Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, was born in 1159. His exploits in battles against the Taira clan were immortalized in the epic "Tale of the Heike."
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the name Tadao was associated with several notable artists and scholars. Tadao Shoyo (1793-1838) was a renowned painter and calligrapher who helped revive traditional Japanese art forms during a time when Western influences were gaining prominence.
Another significant figure was Tadao Ando, a renowned Japanese architect born in 1941. His minimalist and innovative designs, often incorporating concrete and natural elements, earned him numerous international awards, including the Pritzker Prize in 1995.
Tadao Umesao, born in 1920, was a prominent Japanese anthropologist and cultural theorist. He made significant contributions to the study of Japanese culture and its relationship to modernization, shaping academic discourse in the post-World War II era.
While the name Tadao has its roots in ancient Japanese culture, it has transcended its origins and continues to be used today, carrying the weight of its historical and cultural significance.
People
Tadao + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tadao as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tadao: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tadao?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tadao going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Tadao a common name?
We classify Tadao as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 295 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tadao most popular?
The single biggest year for Tadao was 1920, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tadao is about 101 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tadao a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tadao in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.