2000
#3,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Uncommon Last name
Dao
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname 陶, meaning "pottery" or "ceramics."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,823 Americans carry the last name Dao. That puts it at #2,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dao surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dao with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,662
Census rank
#2,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,798 bearers of the surname Dao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dao
The surname Dao is believed to have originated in China, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "dao," which means "way" or "path" in Mandarin Chinese. The name likely originated from a philosophical or spiritual context, referring to the Dao or the Way, a central concept in Daoism and Chinese philosophy.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Dao can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), where it was first mentioned in historical records and manuscripts. During this period, the name was associated with various scholars, philosophers, and practitioners of Daoism.
One notable historical figure with the surname Dao was Dao Sheng (360-434 AD), a renowned Buddhist monk and philosopher who lived during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. He was influential in the development of the Yogacara school of Buddhist philosophy and is known for his commentaries on the Mahayana sutras.
Another prominent individual was Dao Guang (627-686 AD), a Tang Dynasty poet and scholar who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court. His poems and literary works were widely acclaimed and studied by subsequent generations of scholars.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the surname Dao gained further prominence with the rise of Neo-Confucianism. Dao Zhi (1021-1088 AD) was a notable Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar who contributed to the development of this philosophical movement.
In more recent history, Dao Duy Anh (1904-1988) was a prominent Vietnamese politician and revolutionary who played a significant role in Vietnam's struggle for independence from French colonial rule. He served as the first President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 to 1969.
Another notable figure was Dao Strom (born 1973), a Vietnamese-American author and artist who has written several books and received numerous literary awards for her work exploring themes of identity, culture, and displacement.
While the surname Dao has its roots in China, it has also spread to other regions, including Vietnam, where it is a common surname among the ethnic Vietnamese population. The name has also been adopted by individuals of various cultural backgrounds, transcending its original geographical and linguistic boundaries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dao
Among Census respondents with the surname Dao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dao bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.3% · 12,877
- Two or more races2.1% · 283
- White1.9% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 188
- Black or African American1.3% · 179
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dao
Dao appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,211
+3,048 bearers (+37.3%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Up 774 places
2020
#2,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,798
+2,587 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Up 665 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,994 | 8,163 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,220 | 11,211 | 3.80 | +3,048 bearers (+37.3%) | Up 774 places |
| 2020 | #2,555 | 13,798 | 4.62 | +2,587 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 665 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dao surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,220 | #2,555 | 20.7% |
| Count | 11,211 | 13,798 | 23.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.80 | 4.62 | 21.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dao bearers went from 11,211 to 13,798 (+23.1% change). The surname moved up 665 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,220 to #2,555.
FAQ
Dao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dao?
Name Census estimates that about 15,823 living Americans carry the surname Dao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,662 residents.
How common is Dao?
Dao ranks #2,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,798 people with the surname Dao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Dao.
Has Dao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dao went from 11,211 recorded bearers to 13,798. That is an increase of 2,587 (+23.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,220 to #2,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Dao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (12,877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dao (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dao mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname 陶, meaning "pottery" or "ceramics." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dao (4.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Dao?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.