Bao means "treasure," "precious," or "steamed bun" in Mandarin Chinese, depending on the character and tone — all three readings have been deployed as pet names by Chinese-American owners, and the steamed bun reading got a significant boost from the 2018 Pixar short Bao, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The Pixar Effect
The Pixar short Bao told the story of a Chinese-Canadian mother whose steamed bun comes to life as a surrogate child. It was a deeply affecting short about parenthood and letting go, and it introduced the word bao to American audiences who hadn't encountered it before. For Chinese-American families, it was an affirmation; for everyone else, it became a cultural touchpoint. Pets named Bao post-2018 are largely in the film's shadow, intentionally or not.
Cross-Cultural Accessibility
Bao is one of the more accessible Chinese words in English-speaking contexts because of the dumpling and bun associations — it appears on menus across the country, so non-Mandarin speakers encounter it regularly. This makes it a name that travels between cultural contexts without feeling forced. Chow Chows, Shiba Inus, and round-faced breeds that actually resemble steamed buns get this name most frequently.
The Treasure Reading
For Chinese-speaking families, Bao as "treasure" (寶) is a genuine term of endearment — Chinese parents use it for children, and the extension to a beloved pet is natural. The human baby name context at Bao is worth reading for the full picture on how the name functions across cultural settings.