Loi
A Thai feminine name meaning precious jewel.
Name Census estimates that about 61 living Americans carry the first name Loi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Loi today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Loi births was 1959 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Loi. 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 Loi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
61
~ 1 in 5,618,924 Americans
Peak year
1959
7 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2000 SSA rank
#7,170
Tracked since 1959
Census
Loi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,825 people with the first name Loi, which placed it at #5,866 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
#5,866
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,825 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
93.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Loi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Loi 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 Loi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.0% · 2,628
- White3.7% · 105
- Black or African American1.6% · 46
- Two or more races0.9% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Loi
Loi leans heavily male at 81.5% of total registrations, but 12 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Loi as a male name
- Ranked #11,481 in 2000
- 5 male births in 2000
- Peak: 1983 (7 births)
Loi as a female name
- Ranked #7,170 in 1966
- 5 female births in 1966
- Peak: 1959 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Loi on both sides of the split. Of the 2,830 people counted with this name, 1,952 were male (69.0%) and 878 were female (31.0%).
Popularity
Loi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Loi from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 24 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Loi 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 Loi 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 Loi
The name Loi has its origins in the Vietnamese language and culture, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Vietnamese word "loi," which means "profit" or "gain." This name was often given to newborn boys as a wish for them to have a prosperous and successful life.
In ancient Vietnamese texts and historical records, the name Loi can be found mentioned in various contexts. One notable reference is in the "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu," a historical annals of the Dai Viet kingdom, which chronicles the life of a prominent scholar and official named Loi Van Huu, who lived during the 15th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Loi was Loi Tu Thanh, a famous Vietnamese poet and calligrapher who lived from 1495 to 1567. He was renowned for his beautiful verses and his mastery of the art of calligraphy, which earned him great respect and admiration during his lifetime.
Another notable figure in history bearing the name Loi was Loi Khac Nien, a renowned Vietnamese scholar and teacher who lived from 1712 to 1781. He was known for his vast knowledge of Confucian classics and his dedication to educating future generations of scholars.
In the 19th century, Loi Duc Trung (1825-1899) was a prominent Vietnamese military leader and patriot who played a significant role in the resistance against French colonial rule. He is remembered for his bravery and unwavering commitment to the independence of his nation.
Lastly, Loi Nguyen Dinh (1920-1992) was a Vietnamese painter and artist who made significant contributions to the development of modern Vietnamese art. His works, which often depicted scenes from daily life and traditional culture, are celebrated for their vibrant colors and unique style.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Loi, a name that has endured for centuries and continues to hold significance in Vietnamese culture and tradition.
People
Loi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Loi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Loi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Loi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 61 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Loi 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 5,618,924 US residents.
Is Loi a common name?
We classify Loi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Loi most popular?
The single biggest year for Loi was 1959, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Loi is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Loi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,825 people with the name Loi, or 0.94 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,866 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 Loi 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 Loi?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Loi on both sides of the split. Of the 2,830 people counted with this name, 1,952 were male (69.0%) and 878 were female (31.0%). 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 Loi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Loi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Loi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Loi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,628 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 Loi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Loi a male name?
Yes, 81.5% of people registered as Loi 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 Loi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Loi 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 Loi 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 share the name Loi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.