Cao
Cao is a unisex given name: about 75% of people named Cao are men and 25% are women, so a gendered salutation is a coin flip and the neutral form is the safe choice.
- Verdict
- Mostly male
- Male / female split
- 75% male / 25% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Vietnam, China
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Cao
To address Cao when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Cao," in English, "Guten Tag Cao," in German. About 75% of people named Cao are men and 25% are women, so a gendered salutation is close to a coin flip, and the neutral form above is the safer choice.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Cao,
German
Guten Tag Cao,
French
Bonjour Cao,
Spanish
Estimado/a Cao:
Chinese
Cao您好：
Japanese
Cao様
English
Hi Cao,
German
Hi Cao,
French
Salut Cao,
Spanish
Hola Cao,
Chinese
Cao你好：
Japanese
Caoさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | common | man's name | 75% |
| China | rare | unisex name | 50% |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cao a male or female name?
Cao is a unisex given name: about 75% of people named Cao are men and 25% are women, so a gendered salutation is a coin flip and the neutral form is the safe choice.
How do I address Cao in an email?
To address Cao when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Cao," in English, "Guten Tag Cao," in German. About 75% of people named Cao are men and 25% are women, so a gendered salutation is close to a coin flip, and the neutral form above is the safer choice.
Is Cao a unisex name?
Cao is not a unisex name: 75% of people named Cao are men. Cao leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Cao a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/cao (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_cao,
title = {Is Cao a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/cao},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}