Do
A gender-neutral Vietnamese name meaning "gift" or "object bestowed".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Do. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Do today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Do births was 2018 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Do. 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 Do. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2018
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,130
Tracked since 1991
Census
Do in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,296 people with the first name Do, which placed it at #6,844 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
#6,844
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,296 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Do
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Do is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Do 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 Do at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.2% · 1,634
- White18.8% · 431
- Black or African American4.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 90
- Two or more races1.7% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Popularity
Do: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Do from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Do 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 Do 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 Do
The name Do has its origins in the Vietnamese language and culture. It is believed to have originated in the 15th century, derived from the old Vietnamese word "đồ," which means "thing" or "object." This word is thought to have been used as a nickname or term of endearment for children, eventually evolving into a given name.
In Vietnamese folklore and literature, the name Do is often associated with simplicity, humility, and a connection to nature. It is said to represent a person who is grounded and appreciates the beauty in ordinary things. This association may have stemmed from the word's original meaning, which referred to everyday objects and possessions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Do can be found in the historical annals of the Lê Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1428 to 1788. In these records, there are mentions of individuals with the name Do serving as court officials or scholars.
Throughout Vietnamese history, several notable figures have borne the name Do. One such individual was Do Moi (1330-1396), a renowned Zen Buddhist monk and poet who lived during the Tran Dynasty. His writings and teachings had a significant influence on Vietnamese literature and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Do Muoi (1917-2018), a Vietnamese politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1991 to 1997. He played a crucial role in shaping the country's economic and political reforms during a pivotal period.
In the realm of literature, Do Phuong (1942-2017) was a celebrated Vietnamese writer and poet. Her works often explored themes of feminism, social issues, and the human condition. She was widely recognized for her powerful and evocative writing style.
The name Do has also been adopted by individuals outside of Vietnam, particularly in the United States and other Western countries with significant Vietnamese communities. One notable example is Do Nguyen Anh Tuan (born 1963), a Vietnamese-American mathematician and computer scientist known for his contributions to the field of computational geometry.
Another individual of note is Do Lam (born 1949), a Vietnamese-American artist and sculptor. His works, often inspired by his cultural heritage and experiences, have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
While the name Do may have humble origins, it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark on various fields, from religion and politics to literature and academia. Its association with simplicity and appreciation for the ordinary continues to resonate, serving as a reminder of the beauty and significance found in the everyday.
People
Do + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Do 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
Do: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Do?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Do 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Do a common name?
We classify Do as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Do most popular?
The single biggest year for Do was 2018, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Do is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Do in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,296 people with the name Do, or 0.76 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,844 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 Do 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 Do?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Do on both sides of the split. Of the 2,296 people counted with this name, 1,638 were male (71.3%) and 658 were female (28.7%). 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 Do?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Do is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Do most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Do in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (1,634 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 Do in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Do a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Do in the SSA data are male. 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 Do still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Do 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 Do 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 the name Do?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Do on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.