Xiao
A Chinese name meaning "little" or "slender".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Xiao. It is a predominantly female name (91.5% of registrations). The average person named Xiao today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xiao births was 1993 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xiao. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Xiao with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xiao. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1993
9 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,773
Tracked since 1984
Census
Xiao in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,065 people with the first name Xiao, which placed it at #3,110 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,110
National first-name rank
People counted
7.1K
7,065 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Xiao
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xiao is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Xiao 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Xiao at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.3% · 6,873
- White1.8% · 128
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 20
- Two or more races0.3% · 19
Gender
Gender distribution for Xiao
Xiao leans heavily female at 91.5% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Xiao as a male name
- Ranked #8,773 in 1994
- 6 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1994 (6 births)
Xiao as a female name
- Ranked #15,079 in 2006
- 7 female births in 2006
- Peak: 1993 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Xiao on both sides of the split. Of the 7,066 people counted with this name, 2,378 were male (33.7%) and 4,688 were female (66.3%).
Popularity
Xiao: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xiao from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 41 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Xiao remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xiao 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 Xiao during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Xiaos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Xiao
The given name Xiao has its origins in Chinese culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is a unisex name that can be used for both males and females. The character 小 (Xiao) means "small" or "little" in Mandarin Chinese, often conveying a sense of humility, modesty, or affection.
In traditional Chinese philosophy and literature, the concept of "small" or "little" held profound significance, symbolizing simplicity, humility, and the essence of true wisdom. The name Xiao may have been bestowed upon children as a reminder to cultivate these virtues and embrace a modest and unassuming outlook on life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Xiao can be found in the classical Chinese text "Analects of Confucius," written around the 5th century BCE. In this work, Xiao is mentioned as the name of a disciple of the renowned philosopher Confucius, highlighting the name's ancient roots.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable figures have borne the name Xiao. One of the most famous is Xiao Baiyun (363-429 CE), a celebrated poet and calligrapher during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His works are celebrated for their elegance and profound insights into the human condition.
Another influential figure was Xiao Xian (489-537 CE), a prominent Buddhist monk and scholar during the Northern Wei Dynasty. He is credited with translating numerous Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Chinese, playing a crucial role in the spread of Buddhism throughout East Asia.
In the realm of art and literature, Xiao Hong (1911-1942) was a renowned Chinese writer and poet renowned for her poignant depictions of life in rural China during the tumultuous early 20th century. Her novel "Tales of Hulan River" is considered a masterpiece of modern Chinese literature.
Moving forward in time, Xiao Zhan (born 1991) is a contemporary Chinese actor, singer, and model who has gained immense popularity in recent years. His performances in various television dramas and films have garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fan following.
Throughout the centuries, the name Xiao has been consistently used across various regions of China, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its deep-rooted cultural significance and the universal appeal of the virtues it represents.
People
Xiao + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xiao as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xiao: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xiao?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xiao 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Xiao a common name?
We classify Xiao as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xiao most popular?
The single biggest year for Xiao was 1993, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xiao is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Xiao in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,065 people with the name Xiao, or 2.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,110 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Xiao in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Xiao?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Xiao on both sides of the split. Of the 7,066 people counted with this name, 2,378 were male (33.7%) and 4,688 were female (66.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Xiao?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xiao is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Xiao most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Xiao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (6,873 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Xiao in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xiao a female name?
Yes, 91.5% of people registered as Xiao in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Xiao still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xiao in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Xiao can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Xiao?
You can see how many people share the name Xiao on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.