Oanh
A Vietnamese feminine name meaning "gentle radiance" or "spring fragrance".
Name Census estimates that about 224 living Americans carry the first name Oanh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oanh today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oanh births was 1981 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oanh. 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
224
~ 1 in 1,530,153 Americans
Peak year
1981
23 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2002 SSA rank
#17,414
Tracked since 1977
Census
Oanh in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,379 people with the first name Oanh, which placed it at #4,323 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
#4,323
National first-name rank
People counted
4.4K
4,379 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oanh
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oanh is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (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 Oanh 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 Oanh at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.8% · 4,326
- Two or more races0.7% · 30
- White0.4% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Popularity
Oanh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oanh from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 154 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
Oanh 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 Oanh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oanhs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Oanh
Oanh is a Vietnamese feminine given name. It is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word oanh, meaning "phoenix" or "luan" meaning "beautiful jade". The name has its origins in ancient Vietnamese culture and mythology, where the phoenix was revered as a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and immortality.
In Vietnamese folklore, the phoenix was often associated with the feminine principle and was believed to possess mystical powers. The name Oanh may have been bestowed upon daughters in the hope that they would embody the grace, beauty, and resilience of this mythical creature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Oanh can be traced back to the 10th century, during the Ly Dynasty in Vietnam. Historical records from this period mention several noble women bearing the name, suggesting that it was favored among the aristocracy and upper classes.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Oanh was Oanh Khuat Thi Huyen, a renowned 13th-century Vietnamese poet and scholar. Huyen's works were celebrated for their lyrical beauty and profound insights into the human condition. Her birth and death years are unknown, but she is believed to have lived during the Tran Dynasty, which ruled from 1225 to 1400.
Another notable figure was Oanh Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, a revolutionary and feminist activist who played a crucial role in Vietnam's struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the early 20th century. Born in 1886 and executed by the French in 1941, Minh Khai was a prominent member of the Indochinese Communist Party and dedicated her life to the cause of national liberation.
In the realm of literature, Oanh Nguyen Thi Vinh, a celebrated Vietnamese writer and poet, left an indelible mark with her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Born in 1927 and still active today, Vinh's poetic voice has resonated with generations of readers.
Oanh Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, a contemporary Vietnamese author and dissident, gained international recognition for her courageous writings challenging the government's censorship policies. Born in 1951, Huong's works have been translated into numerous languages and have earned her numerous literary awards.
Oanh Le Thi Cong Nhan, a Vietnamese mathematician and educator, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education in Vietnam. Born in 1926, Nhan dedicated her life to improving math education and authored several influential textbooks.
While the name Oanh may have ancient roots, it continues to be bestowed upon Vietnamese girls to this day, carrying with it the rich cultural heritage and symbolism of the phoenix.
People
Oanh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oanh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oanh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oanh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 224 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oanh 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 1,530,153 US residents.
Is Oanh a common name?
We classify Oanh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 237 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oanh most popular?
The single biggest year for Oanh was 1981, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oanh is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Oanh in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,379 people with the name Oanh, or 1.45 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,323 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 Oanh 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 Oanh?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Oanh leans strongly female. 4,133 people counted with this name were female (94.5%), compared with 240 male bearers (5.5%). 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 Oanh?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oanh is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%) and White (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 Oanh most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Oanh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.8% (4,326 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 Oanh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oanh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oanh 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 Oanh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oanh 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 Oanh 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 are called Oanh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.