Ngoc
A Vietnamese name meaning "precious stone" or "jewel".
Name Census estimates that about 689 living Americans carry the first name Ngoc. It is a predominantly female name (92.5% of registrations). The average person named Ngoc today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ngoc births was 1982 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ngoc. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ngoc with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
689
~ 1 in 497,466 Americans
Peak year
1982
55 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,370
Tracked since 1975
Census
Ngoc in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 11,552 people with the first name Ngoc, which placed it at #2,256 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
#2,256
National first-name rank
People counted
12K
11,552 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ngoc
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ngoc is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (0.6%). 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 Ngoc 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 Ngoc at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.3% · 11,353
- Two or more races0.7% · 76
- White0.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 38
- Black or African American0.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Ngoc
Ngoc leans heavily female at 92.5% of total registrations, but 54 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ngoc as a male name
- Ranked #8,370 in 1993
- 6 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1983 (10 births)
Ngoc as a female name
- Ranked #16,939 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1982 (47 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ngoc leans strongly female. 9,317 people counted with this name were female (80.6%), compared with 2,237 male bearers (19.4%).
Popularity
Ngoc: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ngoc 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 346 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
Ngoc 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 Ngoc during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ngocs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Ngoc, while Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 61 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ngoc
Ngoc is a Vietnamese given name derived from the word ngọc, meaning "jade" or "precious stone" in the Vietnamese language. The name has its origins in ancient Vietnam, where jade was highly revered for its beauty and durability.
The earliest known reference to the name Ngoc can be traced back to the 3rd century AD, during the Ly Dynasty in Vietnam. The name was often given to children born into royal or noble families, as jade was a symbol of wealth, status, and purity. In Vietnamese folklore, jade was believed to have mystical properties and was thought to bring good luck and protection to its wearer.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Ngoc was Ngoc Trinh, a Vietnamese princess who lived during the 13th century. Ngoc Trinh was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and courage, and is celebrated in Vietnamese literature and art.
Another notable figure was Ngoc Van, a renowned Buddhist monk who lived during the 17th century. Ngoc Van was highly respected for his wisdom and spiritual teachings, and is credited with helping to spread Buddhism throughout Vietnam.
In the 19th century, Ngoc Anh was a celebrated Vietnamese poet and scholar. Her works, which explore themes of love, nature, and spirituality, are still widely studied and celebrated in Vietnam today.
Ngoc Linh was a Vietnamese revolutionary and one of the leaders of the Tay Son Uprising against the Nguyen Dynasty in the late 18th century. She was known for her bravery and strategic military leadership.
In more recent times, Ngoc Lan was a renowned Vietnamese actress and singer who rose to fame in the mid-20th century. She was celebrated for her talent and beauty, and was a beloved cultural icon in Vietnam.
While the name Ngoc has its roots in ancient Vietnam, it has since gained popularity around the world, particularly in diaspora communities and among those with an appreciation for Vietnamese culture and traditions.
People
Ngoc + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ngoc as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ngoc: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ngoc?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 689 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ngoc 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 497,466 US residents.
Is Ngoc a common name?
We classify Ngoc as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 721 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ngoc most popular?
The single biggest year for Ngoc was 1982, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ngoc is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ngoc in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 11,552 people with the name Ngoc, or 3.82 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,256 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 Ngoc 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 Ngoc?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ngoc leans strongly female. 9,317 people counted with this name were female (80.6%), compared with 2,237 male bearers (19.4%). 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 Ngoc?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ngoc is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (0.6%). 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 Ngoc most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ngoc in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (11,353 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 Ngoc in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ngoc a female name?
Yes, 92.5% of people registered as Ngoc 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.
Is Ngoc still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ngoc 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 Ngoc 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 common is the name Ngoc?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Ngoc at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.