Xiao
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- Say it
- SHYOW
- Origin
- Chinese
Xiao is a name of Chinese origin. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Xiao mean?
Chinese: Mandarin Xiao, from many possible characters
Mandarin name whose meaning depends on the character, such as those for dawn or small.
Is Xiao a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Xiao has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls.
How popular is Xiao in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2012, with 8 girls.
Half of all the girls named Xiao in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2012, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2012, 67% of the babies named Xiao in the UK were girls.
Xiao in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,953 |
| 2012 | 8 | #3,148 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 5 | #4,220 |
| 2009 | 7 | #3,201 |
| 2008 | 7 | #3,203 |
| 2007 | 4 | #4,494 |
| 2006 | 4 | #4,357 |
| 2005 | 1 | #6,340 |
| 2004 | 3 | #4,789 |
| 2003 | 3 | #4,560 |
| 2002 | 1 | #5,540 |
Names related to Xiao
More Chinese names
Lian, Jia, Mei, Tai, Tian, Jun, Mulan, Yi, Tao, San, Jian, Han, Mian, Bao, Lin, Yichen
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Xiao: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/xiao, updated 20 October 2026.