Tao
A surname found in several cultures, most often linked to Chinese origins and meanings connected with a “way,” “path,” or “principle.”
The #7,747 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 72,036 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tao is most commonly associated with the Chinese surname spelling used for several different Chinese family names in romanization. In Chinese, tao can correspond to characters with different histories and meanings, so the English spelling alone does not identify a single origin. One common association is with the philosophical word 道, meaning “way” or “path,” though not every family named Tao in English comes from that character. The surname can also appear in Japanese contexts as a romanization of names using the same syllables.
History
As a romanized surname, Tao has multiple independent origins in East Asia, especially among Chinese families from different dialect and romanization traditions. In modern English-language records it is usually encountered as a Chinese surname, though the same spelling can also reflect other Asian naming systems. Because the spelling is shared by more than one source name, family histories may not be interchangeable even when the surname looks identical in English.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In English transliteration, Tao is one of those surnames where the spelling can hide several different original Chinese characters and family lineages.