Duy
A Vietnamese unisex name meaning "the only one".
Name Census estimates that about 801 living Americans carry the first name Duy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Duy today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Duy births was 1984 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Duy. 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
801
~ 1 in 427,908 Americans
Peak year
1984
59 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,777
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Duy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Duy from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 364 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
Duy 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 Duy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Duys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Duy, while Oregon, Louisiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Duy
The given name Duy originated from the Vietnamese language, and its roots can be traced back to the ancient Vietnamese culture. The name is derived from the Old Vietnamese word "Duỵ," which means "intelligence" or "wisdom." It was a popular name among the Vietnamese nobility and scholars during the ancient and medieval periods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duy can be found in the "Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư" (Complete Annals of Đại Việt), a historical text written in the 15th century. The book mentions a prominent scholar and official named Duy Minh, who lived during the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225 CE). Duy Minh was known for his wisdom, literary talents, and contributions to the development of the Vietnamese language and literature.
Another notable figure in Vietnamese history was Duy Tân (1890-1925), a revolutionary leader and activist who played a significant role in the struggle for Vietnamese independence from French colonial rule. He was the founder of the Vietnamese Nationalist Party (Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng) and advocated for modernization and democratic reforms in Vietnam.
In the realm of literature, Duy Anh (1920-1988) was a renowned Vietnamese poet and translator. He is best known for his translations of literary works from French and Russian into Vietnamese, as well as his own poetry collections that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Duy Anh's works have had a lasting impact on Vietnamese literature and culture.
Duy Tan (1958-2012) was a prominent Vietnamese-American mathematician and computer scientist. He made significant contributions to the fields of cryptography, coding theory, and information security. Duy Tan was a professor at the University of California, San Diego, and held several patents in his areas of expertise.
In the field of music, Duy Quang (born 1957) is a well-known Vietnamese singer and songwriter. He is celebrated for his contributions to the development of contemporary Vietnamese music, blending traditional elements with modern genres. Duy Quang's songs have resonated with audiences across generations and have become part of the cultural fabric of Vietnam.
While the name Duy has its roots in ancient Vietnamese culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among Vietnamese diaspora communities. The name carries connotations of intelligence, wisdom, and cultural heritage, making it a cherished choice for parents seeking to honor their Vietnamese ancestry.
People
Duy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Duy 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
Duy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Duy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 801 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Duy 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 427,908 US residents.
Is Duy a common name?
We classify Duy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 827 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Duy most popular?
The single biggest year for Duy was 1984, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Duy is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Duy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Duy 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.