Tao is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 陶 (Táo).
Tao (陶) is not to be confused with the Vietnamese surname Tào, derived from the Chinese surname Cao (chữ Hán: 曹) or the Japanese surname Tao (田尾), notably the surname of ski jumper Katsushi Tao (田尾 克史, born 1963) and baseball player Yasushi Tao (田尾 安志, born 1954).
[citation needed] Tao is a fairly uncommon surname in the United States, being ranked 12,503rd during the 1990 census and 10,033rd during the year 2000 one.
[citation needed] Some Zhejiangese Tao who joined the White Banner[which?]
The Mandarin form of the surname 陶 meaning ‘ceramics’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Tao (陶) said to be the original residence of the legendary Emperor Yao (c. 24th century BC).