Nhan
A Vietnamese name meaning "kind" or "gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 356 living Americans carry the first name Nhan. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Nhan today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nhan births was 1988 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nhan. 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
356
~ 1 in 962,793 Americans
Peak year
1988
19 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,737
Tracked since 1979
Census
Nhan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,121 people with the first name Nhan, which placed it at #3,844 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
#3,844
National first-name rank
People counted
5.1K
5,121 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nhan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nhan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.7%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Nhan 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 Nhan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 5,045
- White0.7% · 36
- Two or more races0.4% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Nhan
Nhan leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nhan as a male name
- Ranked #11,737 in 2019
- 6 male births in 2019
- Peak: 1988 (19 births)
Nhan as a female name
- Ranked #11,910 in 1985
- 5 female births in 1985
- Peak: 1985 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nhan on both sides of the split. Of the 5,120 people counted with this name, 3,267 were male (63.8%) and 1,853 were female (36.2%).
Popularity
Nhan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nhan 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 131 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Nhan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nhan 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 Nhan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nhans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nhan
The given name Nhan has its origins in the Vietnamese language and culture. It is derived from the ancient Vietnamese word "nhân," which means "kind" or "virtuous." This name has been in use for centuries in Vietnam and is rooted in the country's rich cultural traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nhan can be found in the "Truyện Kiều" (The Tale of Kieu), a famous 18th-century Vietnamese epic poem written by Nguyễn Du. In this literary work, one of the characters bears the name Nhan, reflecting the cultural significance and popularity of the name during that period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nhan. One such individual was Nhan Hữu Chinh (1845-1924), a Vietnamese philosopher and scholar who played a significant role in the Nguyễn Dynasty's educational reforms. His contributions to the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese culture and values were widely recognized.
Another prominent figure was Nhan Hồng (1915-1975), a Vietnamese poet and writer known for his works that explored themes of love, nature, and patriotism. His poetry collections, such as "Tình Ca" (Love Songs) and "Đất Nước" (Country), have left a lasting impact on Vietnamese literature.
In the realm of politics, Nhan Văn Ven (1906-1972) was a notable figure. He was a Vietnamese revolutionary and diplomat who played a crucial role in the country's independence movement against French colonial rule. Nhan Văn Ven served as the first ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Soviet Union.
Nhan Khê (1624-1672), also known as Nguyễn Công Trứ, was a renowned Vietnamese poet and mandarin during the Lê Dynasty. His literary works, particularly his poetry collection "Cung Oán Ngâm Khúc" (Songs of a Sorrowful Life), have been celebrated for their depth and emotional resonance.
It is worth noting that the name Nhan has also been used by several prominent figures in various fields, such as arts, sciences, and sports, throughout Vietnamese history. The name's association with virtues and kindness has contributed to its enduring popularity and cultural significance in Vietnam.
People
Nhan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nhan 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
Nhan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nhan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 356 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nhan 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 962,793 US residents.
Is Nhan a common name?
We classify Nhan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 366 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nhan most popular?
The single biggest year for Nhan was 1988, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nhan is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nhan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,121 people with the name Nhan, or 1.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,844 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 Nhan 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 Nhan?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nhan on both sides of the split. Of the 5,120 people counted with this name, 3,267 were male (63.8%) and 1,853 were female (36.2%). 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 Nhan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nhan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.7%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Nhan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nhan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (5,045 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 Nhan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nhan a male name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Nhan 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 Nhan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nhan 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 Nhan 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 Nhan?
Want to know how many people have the name Nhan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.