Nha
A Vietnamese name meaning "shelter" or "house".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Nha. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nha births was 1989 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nha. 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 Nha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1989
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,837
Tracked since 1989
Census
Nha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 956 people with the first name Nha, which placed it at #12,833 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
#12,833
National first-name rank
People counted
956
956 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.0%. The next largest groups are White (0.7%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Nha 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 Nha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.0% · 937
- White0.7% · 7
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Two or more races0.3% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
Popularity
Nha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nha 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 Nha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nha
The name Nha originates from the Vietnamese language and culture, with roots dating back to the 10th century during the Ly Dynasty. It is believed to be derived from the ancient Vietnamese word "nha," which means "house" or "home." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially given to symbolize domesticity, family, and a sense of belonging.
In historical records, the name Nha first appeared in ancient Vietnamese poetry and literature from the 11th century. One of the earliest known references is found in the epic poem "The Tale of Kieu," written by the renowned poet Nguyen Du in the early 19th century, where a character bears this name.
The earliest recorded individual with the name Nha was Nha Thi Nham, a prominent female poet who lived in the 13th century during the Tran Dynasty. Her works were highly regarded and celebrated for their intricate language and exploration of human emotions.
Another noteworthy figure in history was Nha Phu, a celebrated Vietnamese artist and calligrapher from the 17th century. His intricate brushwork and mastery of traditional calligraphy styles earned him widespread recognition and admiration among scholars and artists of his time.
In the 19th century, Nha Trang, a prominent Vietnamese military leader and strategist, played a crucial role in the resistance against French colonial forces. His tactical brilliance and unwavering determination inspired many to fight for their homeland's independence.
More recently, Nha Trang is also the name of a coastal city in Vietnam, which was named after the legendary military leader. This city has become a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches and rich cultural heritage.
Throughout history, the name Nha has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, poets, military leaders, and scholars. While its origins may be rooted in the concept of home and domesticity, the name has transcended these boundaries and come to represent a diverse array of achievements and contributions to Vietnamese culture and society.
People
Nha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nha 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
Nha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nha 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Nha a common name?
We classify Nha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nha most popular?
The single biggest year for Nha was 1989, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 956 people with the name Nha, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,833 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 Nha 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 Nha?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nha on both sides of the split. Of the 946 people counted with this name, 428 were male (45.2%) and 518 were female (54.8%). 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 Nha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.0%. The next largest groups are White (0.7%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Nha most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (937 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 Nha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nha a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nha 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 Nha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nha 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 Nha 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 Nha?
Find out how many people have the name Nha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.