Hien
Vietnamese name meaning "modest" or "humble".
Name Census estimates that about 607 living Americans carry the first name Hien. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 51.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Hien today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hien births was 1984 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hien. 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
607
~ 1 in 564,669 Americans
Peak year
1984
44 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2016 SSA rank
#10,048
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Hien
Hien is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 632 total registrations, 305 (48.3%) were male and 327 (51.7%) were female.
Hien as a male name
- Ranked #10,048 in 2016
- 7 male births in 2016
- Peak: 1985 (20 births)
Hien as a female name
- Ranked #18,007 in 2010
- 5 female births in 2010
- Peak: 1984 (30 births)
Popularity
Hien: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hien from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 281 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
Hien 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 Hien during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hiens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hien
The name Hien has its origins in the Vietnamese language and culture. It emerged during the medieval period in Vietnam, likely derived from the older Vietnamese word "hiền" meaning gentle, virtuous, or kind. This name may have also been influenced by the Chinese character "賢" which has a similar meaning of virtuous or talented.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hien can be found in Vietnamese historical records from the 11th century, where it was used for a prince of the Ly Dynasty. This dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1009 to 1225 AD, indicating the antiquity of this name.
In Vietnamese folklore and literature, the name Hien is often associated with characters who embody kindness, wisdom, and moral integrity. For example, in the classic tale "The Story of Kieu," there is a character named Hien who represents virtue and loyalty.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Hien. One of the earliest was Hien Vuong (1470-1505), a Vietnamese prince who briefly ruled as the Emperor of the Later Le Dynasty. Another was Hien Tu Trung (1720-1789), a renowned Vietnamese poet and scholar during the Le Dynasty.
In more recent times, Hien Pham (1925-2008) was a notable Vietnamese-American author and playwright who wrote about the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants in the United States. Hien Van Nhuyen (1830-1909) was a Vietnamese military leader and diplomat who played a significant role in the country's resistance against French colonialism.
It is also worth mentioning Hien Thuc (1868-1940), a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and scholar who was instrumental in reviving and preserving traditional Vietnamese Buddhism. He was known for his extensive knowledge of Buddhist texts and his efforts to promote education and social reform.
People
Hien + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hien as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hien: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hien?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 607 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hien 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 564,669 US residents.
Is Hien a common name?
We classify Hien as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 632 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hien most popular?
The single biggest year for Hien was 1984, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hien is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hien a female name?
Yes, 51.7% of people registered as Hien 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.
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.