Diep
A feminine name of Vietnamese origin meaning "graceful" or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Diep. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Diep today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Diep births was 1982 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Diep. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Diep. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1982
11 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1982 SSA rank
#5,838
Tracked since 1981
Census
Diep in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,159 people with the first name Diep, which placed it at #5,445 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,445
National first-name rank
People counted
3.2K
3,159 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diep
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diep is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Diep described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Diep at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.6% · 3,114
- Two or more races0.7% · 23
- White0.5% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Diep
Diep is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 27 total registrations, 6 (22.2%) were male and 21 (77.8%) were female.
Diep as a male name
- Ranked #5,838 in 1982
- 6 male births in 1982
- Peak: 1982 (6 births)
Diep as a female name
- Ranked #12,189 in 1992
- 6 female births in 1992
- Peak: 1992 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Diep on both sides of the split. Of the 3,166 people counted with this name, 707 were male (22.3%) and 2,459 were female (77.7%).
Popularity
Diep: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Diep from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 21 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Diep by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Diep during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Diep
The given name Diep originates from the Vietnamese language and culture. It dates back to the 11th century and has its roots in the ancient Vietnamese word "đìp," meaning "deep" or "profound." The name was initially associated with individuals who possessed a deep understanding or knowledge, reflecting qualities like wisdom, insight, and thoughtfulness.
During the Ly Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1009 to 1225, the name Diep gained popularity among scholars and intellectuals. It was often bestowed upon those who excelled in literary or philosophical pursuits, reflecting the emphasis on education and knowledge during this period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Diep can be found in the historical text "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu" (Complete Annals of Dai Viet), which chronicles the history of Vietnam from the 3rd to the 15th century. This text includes references to several individuals bearing the name Diep, indicating its use and significance during that time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Diep. One prominent example is Diep Van Cuong (1886-1936), a Vietnamese poet and journalist who played a significant role in the country's literary and cultural renaissance during the early 20th century. His works were influential in reviving and promoting the Vietnamese language and literature.
Another remarkable individual was Diep Bao (1888-1945), a Vietnamese physician and political activist who fought for the country's independence from French colonial rule. He was a member of the Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang (Vietnamese Nationalist Party) and dedicated his life to the cause of national liberation.
In the field of arts and culture, Diep Nguyen (1943-1994) was a renowned Vietnamese-American sculptor and painter. Born in Vietnam, she immigrated to the United States and gained recognition for her fusion of Eastern and Western artistic styles, reflecting her multicultural identity.
Moving to the literary realm, Diep Khac Khuong (1926-2011) was a celebrated Vietnamese writer and poet. He authored numerous novels, short stories, and poems that explored themes of love, life, and the human condition. His works were widely acclaimed and translated into multiple languages.
Lastly, Diep Khac Ly (1944-2021) was a Vietnamese-American mathematician and computer scientist. He made significant contributions to the field of computer graphics and was recognized for his pioneering work in computer-aided geometric design.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Diep, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and cultures.
People
Diep + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Diep as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Diep: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Diep?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Diep going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Diep a common name?
We classify Diep as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Diep most popular?
The single biggest year for Diep was 1982, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Diep is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Diep in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,159 people with the name Diep, or 1.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,445 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Diep in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Diep?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Diep on both sides of the split. Of the 3,166 people counted with this name, 707 were male (22.3%) and 2,459 were female (77.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Diep?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diep is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Diep most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Diep in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.6% (3,114 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Diep in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Diep a female name?
Yes, 77.8% of people registered as Diep in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Diep still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Diep in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Diep can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Diep as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.