Mao

Mão is a first name from Vietnam that is used for both boys and girls. The direct translation is 'the little cat', but the exact meaning is disputed.

What does the name Mao mean?

Mão is a name used in the Vietnamese language for both boys and girls. The literal translation is 'the little cat', although the meaning is not definitively established. The origin of the name lies in the Vietnamese mão (卯), which means 'little cat' or simply 'cat'. The feminine name Mao, on the other hand, has Japanese roots and literally means 'the true cherry blossom' or 'the one dancing in the middle'. This name consists of two Japanese terms. The first part is ma (真), meaning 'true' or 'genuine', and mai (舞), meaning 'dance' or 'flutter'. The second part includes: o (生) for life or birth, o (桜) for cherry blossom, o (央) for center or middle, o (碧) for jade green, and o (青) for blue, green, or young.

Where does the name Mao come from?

The name Mao is both a male and female first name with Japanese and Vietnamese roots, meaning 'the little cat'. In Japanese, the name is composed as follows: ma (真) for 'true' or 'genuine', mai (舞) for 'dance' or 'flutter', and o (生) for 'life' or 'birth'. Other components include: o (桜) for 'cherry blossom', o (央) for 'center' or 'middle', o (碧) for 'jade green', and o (青) for 'blue', 'green', or 'young'. The languages from which the name originates are Japanese and Vietnamese.

How do you pronounce Mao?

Mao is pronounced like 'Mau', similar to the sound a cat makes.

Popularity

In Germany, Mao is a rather rare first name. It has not yet found a place in the country's name popularity lists. In Austria, the name reached its highest ranking at 1,121st place in 2007. From 1984 to 2024, Mao was given as a first name in Austria fewer than 10 times, resulting in a rank of 6,220. In the last ten years, no child in this country has been named this name.

Nicknames & pet names

MaMo

Famous people

• Mao Abe (Japanese singer)
• Mao Asada (World Champion in figure skating)
• Mao Denda (Japanese singer)
• Mao Inoue (Japanese actress)
• Mao Kalisa (footballer from Rwanda)
• Mao Kobayashi (actress from Japan)
• Mao Li (Chinese badminton player)
• Mao Miyaji (American actress)
• Mao Mizoguchi (model from Japan)
• Mao Murakami (Japanese dancer)
• Mao Qiling (Chinese scholar)
• Mao Sheng (Chinese painter)
• Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Communist Party of China, Chinese dictator under whom several tens of millions of people were murdered.)
• Mao You (Chinese poet)
• Mao Ze Dong (Chinese revolutionary)