Quynh
A Vietnamese unisex name meaning "brilliant" or "talented."
Name Census estimates that about 324 living Americans carry the first name Quynh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Quynh today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quynh births was 1981 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quynh. 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 Quynh with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
324
~ 1 in 1,057,884 Americans
Peak year
1981
15 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,490
Tracked since 1980
Census
Quynh in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,657 people with the first name Quynh, which placed it at #4,895 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
#4,895
National first-name rank
People counted
3.7K
3,657 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quynh
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quynh is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and White (1.0%). 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 Quynh 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 Quynh at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.1% · 3,551
- Two or more races1.3% · 48
- White1.0% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Popularity
Quynh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quynh from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 96 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Quynh remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quynh 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 Quynh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Quynhs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Quynh
Quynh is a Vietnamese given name that originated from an ancient Vietnamese word meaning "precious jade" or "jade gem". It has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam, a country known for its reverence for gemstones and natural beauty.
The name Quynh is believed to have first emerged during the Ly Dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from the 11th to the 13th century. During this period, Vietnamese culture and arts flourished, and the appreciation for jade and other precious stones was deeply ingrained in society. The name was often bestowed upon children as a symbol of purity, elegance, and grace.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quynh can be found in the "Kieu Story," a famous 18th-century Vietnamese epic poem by Nguyen Du. In this literary masterpiece, the character Quynh is portrayed as a virtuous and loyal woman, reflecting the positive connotations associated with the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Quynh. One of the most prominent figures was Quynh Nhu (1955-present), a Vietnamese-American activist and former First Lady of South Vietnam. She played a significant role in the political landscape of her country during the Vietnam War.
Another notable Quynh was Quynh Anh (1971-present), a renowned Vietnamese singer and actress. She has been a prominent figure in the Vietnamese entertainment industry for several decades and is renowned for her vocal talents and acting skills.
In the realm of literature, Quynh Dao (1973-present) is a celebrated Vietnamese-American poet and writer. Her works have garnered critical acclaim and explore themes of identity, culture, and the immigrant experience.
Quynh Giao (1950-present) is a Vietnamese-American artist and sculptor who has made significant contributions to the art world. Her sculptures, often incorporating traditional Vietnamese elements, have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
Quynh Huong (1961-present) is a Vietnamese writer and dissident known for her advocacy of human rights and freedom of expression. Her literary works have shed light on social and political issues in Vietnam, and she has faced persecution for her outspoken views.
The name Quynh continues to be a popular choice among Vietnamese families, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and symbolism that resonates with the values of beauty, purity, and grace.
People
Quynh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quynh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quynh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quynh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 324 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quynh 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 1,057,884 US residents.
Is Quynh a common name?
We classify Quynh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 332 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quynh most popular?
The single biggest year for Quynh was 1981, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quynh is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Quynh in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,657 people with the name Quynh, or 1.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,895 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 Quynh 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 Quynh?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Quynh leans strongly female. 3,139 people counted with this name were female (85.9%), compared with 514 male bearers (14.1%). 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 Quynh?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Quynh is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and White (1.0%). 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 Quynh most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Quynh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (3,551 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 Quynh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quynh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quynh 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 Quynh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quynh 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 Quynh 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 Quynh?
See how many people share the name Quynh on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.