Dung
A unisex Vietnamese name meaning "little one".
Name Census estimates that about 719 living Americans carry the first name Dung. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 62.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Dung today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dung births was 1982 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dung. 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.
People living today
719
~ 1 in 476,710 Americans
Peak year
1982
71 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1998 SSA rank
#8,794
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Dung
Dung is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 756 total registrations, 469 (62.0%) were male and 287 (38.0%) were female.
Dung as a male name
- Ranked #8,794 in 1998
- 6 male births in 1998
- Peak: 1982 (48 births)
Dung as a female name
- Ranked #15,753 in 2000
- 5 female births in 2000
- Peak: 1985 (30 births)
Popularity
Dung: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dung from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 493 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
Dung 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 Dung during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dungs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Dung, while Illinois, Louisiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 63 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dung
The name Dung has its origins in the Vietnamese language, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Old Vietnamese word "dong," which referred to a type of tree or plant species. The name was likely originally used as a descriptor for someone who lived near or was associated with these particular trees or plants.
In the early historical records of Vietnam, the name Dung can be found in various ancient texts and inscriptions, suggesting its widespread use among the Vietnamese people for centuries. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu," a historical text from the 13th century that chronicles the history of the Dai Viet kingdom (present-day Vietnam).
Throughout Vietnam's rich history, several notable individuals have borne the name Dung. One of the most famous was Dung Tuan Anh (1528-1613), a renowned Vietnamese general and military strategist who played a crucial role in defending the country against invasions from the north. Another prominent figure was Dung Quat (1420-1489), a revered Buddhist monk and scholar who made significant contributions to the study and propagation of Zen Buddhism in Vietnam.
In the realm of literature, Dung Thi Huyen (1720-1795) was a celebrated Vietnamese poet whose works are still widely studied and revered today. Her poetic compositions, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, have left a lasting impact on Vietnamese literary traditions.
Moving forward in time, Dung Van Nguyen (1910-1986) was a prominent Vietnamese politician and diplomat who served as the President of South Vietnam from 1964 to 1965. His tenure was marked by efforts to establish stability and unity during a turbulent period in the country's history.
Lastly, Dung Quat (1949-present) is a contemporary Vietnamese artist renowned for his intricate and captivating lacquer paintings. His works, which often depict scenes from daily life and nature, have been exhibited worldwide and have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts in 2005.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Dung, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of Vietnam and beyond.
People
Dung + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dung 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
Dung: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dung?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 719 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dung 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 476,710 US residents.
Is Dung a common name?
We classify Dung as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 756 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dung most popular?
The single biggest year for Dung was 1982, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dung is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dung a male name?
Yes, 62.0% of people registered as Dung 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.
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.