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Throughout the world, ชาว (Chao , ชาว ) is a common epicene first name. The first name ชาว is characteristic of Eastern Asia, particularly Macao, where it is quite a common gender-neutral name, Taiwan, where it is quite a rare gender-neutral name, and Hong Kong. In absolute terms, it is commonest in China, the United States, and Indonesia. Likewise, ชาว is the last name as well as the forename.
ชาว is also a name for the fictitious and mythical characters: Chao Lingshen , the fictional character from Negima! Magister Negi Magi and Chao Chocola , the Sonic the Hedgehog character.