Ngun
A Vietnamese unisex name meaning "gold" or "valuable one".
Name Census estimates that about 59 living Americans carry the first name Ngun. It is a predominantly female name (91.5% of registrations). The average person named Ngun today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ngun births was 2015 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ngun. 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 Ngun. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
59
~ 1 in 5,809,396 Americans
Peak year
2015
12 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,423
Tracked since 2012
Census
Ngun in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,542 people with the first name Ngun, which placed it at #9,143 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
#9,143
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,542 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
99.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ngun
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ngun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.4%) and White (0.1%). 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 Ngun 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 Ngun at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander99.3% · 1,531
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 6
- White0.1% · 2
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Ngun
Ngun leans heavily female at 91.5% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ngun as a male name
- Ranked #13,472 in 2015
- 5 male births in 2015
- Peak: 2015 (5 births)
Ngun as a female name
- Ranked #13,423 in 2018
- 7 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2017 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ngun on both sides of the split. Of the 1,543 people counted with this name, 435 were male (28.2%) and 1,108 were female (71.8%).
Popularity
Ngun: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ngun 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 Ngun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 54 | 59 |
Geography
Where Nguns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ngun
The name Ngun is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages from Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "ngun," which meant "high" or "elevated." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were considered important or held a high social status in their community.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ngun can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that lists the names of rulers from various cities in ancient Mesopotamia. One of the kings mentioned in the list is Ngun-Lugal, who is said to have ruled the city of Adab around 2500 BCE.
The name Ngun also appears in several ancient Sumerian texts, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature. In this epic, Ngun is mentioned as the name of a minor character, though not much is known about their role or significance.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Ngun. One such person was Ngun Zhen, a Chinese philosopher and scholar who lived during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). He was known for his contributions to the study of Confucianism and his writings on ethics and morality.
Another historical figure named Ngun was Ngun Thein, a Burmese monk and scholar who lived in the 18th century (1737 - 1807). He was renowned for his knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and his efforts to preserve and promote Burmese culture and literature.
In the 15th century, there was a Japanese samurai named Ngun Masahiro (1435 - 1506) who served under the Hosokawa clan. He was known for his skills in battle and his loyalty to his lord.
A more recent figure with the name Ngun was Ngun Pao, a Hmong leader and military commander who fought against the French and American forces during the Vietnam War (1959 - 1975). He played a significant role in the Hmong resistance movement and is remembered as a symbol of Hmong nationalism.
While the name Ngun may be relatively rare in modern times, its ancient origins and historical significance make it a unique and intriguing name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Ngun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ngun 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
Ngun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ngun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 59 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ngun 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 5,809,396 US residents.
Is Ngun a common name?
We classify Ngun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 59 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ngun most popular?
The single biggest year for Ngun was 2015, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ngun is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ngun in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,542 people with the name Ngun, or 0.51 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,143 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 Ngun 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 Ngun?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ngun on both sides of the split. Of the 1,543 people counted with this name, 435 were male (28.2%) and 1,108 were female (71.8%). 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 Ngun?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ngun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.4%) and White (0.1%). 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 Ngun most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ngun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (1,531 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 Ngun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ngun a female name?
Yes, 91.5% of people registered as Ngun 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 Ngun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ngun 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 Ngun 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 Americans are named Ngun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.